Australia’s kangaroos are still killed regularly even as global brands drop roo leather

A gunshot echoes through the outback before a kangaroo in Australia falls to the ground. A man drags the marsupial to his truck and hangs it upside down on the side of the loading area. But it is not dead yet and keeps wriggling on all fours, so the hunter takes a knife and slashes the kangaroo. He then drives off through the Australian landscape. This disturbing scene came from a video leaked to animal rights activists and published by Australian broadcaster ABC. It is not an isolated case. Kangaroos are killed regularly in Australia, despite being the national symbol. Animal rights activists have long been fighting against the practice that feeds into a fashion industry. The leather of the iconic marsupials is used to make fashion accessories and sports shoes around the world. Producers favour the leather for being lighter while also more durable than other animal skins. Germany is one of the big importers of “K-Leather” and kangaroo meat – though more companies are boycotting the material due to the brutal way the roos are killed. “The use of kangaroo leather has been limited to a few products for years, such as the Puma King Football Boot,” said Stefan Seidel, senior head of corporate sustainability at German sports manufacturer Puma. By the end of the year, the German company plans to switch production and henceforth make its football boots from synthetic vegan leather. Nike has announced similar plans. “Nike divested of its only kangaroo leather supplier in 2021 and will stop making any product with kangaroo leather in 2023,” the US company said in a statement in March. ‘They’re starving to death’: Australia told to shoot its surplus kangaroos US lawmakers are also discussing a ban on the import of kangaroo products – and animal rights activists want to see a similar move in the EU. Pro Wildlife says some food retail chains and pet food retailers in the EU have already stopped selling kangaroo meat. “Almost half of the kangaroos shot by commercial hunters are hit in the neck or elsewhere on the body, causing slow, painful deaths,” says Mimi Bekhechi, campaign adviser at the animal welfare group Peta. But in Australia, anyone with a licence is allowed to shoot kangaroos. Hunters are usually paid per kilogram. The carcasses are used to make meat and leather, which is exported to around 70 countries. The industry generates an impressive A$200 million (US$132 million) every year. The mass hunt makes sense beyond money for the hunters and the government, as kangaroos often make a mess near farms or eat the harvest. The laws allow landowners to kill the animals as long as they apply for a permit first. But the slaughter may not be cruel – as the video shows. Australia’s National Code of Conduct states that shooters must hit the animals directly in the head. “A precisely placed shot to the head will result in immediate unconsciousness and a quick death,” the document says. The trouble is that this is not monitored. Beyond questionable marksmanship, activists are also concerned at the way the young animals – called joeys – are handled. “After a mother kangaroo is killed, joeys still in her pouch may then be slaughtered with a blow to the head – which is often done by slamming them into the ground,” says Bekhechi. Kangaroo kills 77-year-old Australian man in first fatal attack for 86 years Despite growing criticism, the government does not only permit the hunting of arguably Australia’s most iconic marsupial, it is actively incentivised. In the Australian capital Canberra, 1,042 kangaroos were killed as part of an annual culling programme in June and July. The local government said it was to prevent the animals from taking up too much of the threatened grasslands in the surrounding area, which are essential for the survival of other animals and plants. The systematic killings are intended to control the kangaroo population as they are widely seen as a nuisance. No one knows exactly how many kangaroos there are in Australia, though estimates suggest that there could be as many as 50 million. Of those, 36.5 million are in the five states where they can be hunted, the government says. The annual shooting rate varies from region to region, but usually between 10 per cent and 17 per cent are killed. The national target of 4.4 million kangaroos was calculated for 2022, but 1.2 million were actually shot. While activists’ criticism has had little concrete impact on kangaroo hunting, the boycott of the leather by sports and fashion labels is making its mark. Companies that process kangaroo products are worrying about the future. Kangaroo hunter Garry Trindall thinks that Nike and Puma are actually achieving the opposite with their move. “If prices for the carcasses go down because there’s less demand for the leather, then more kangaroos will have to be killed to keep up the same income,” Trindall told ABC. Meanwhile, there are further threats to Australia’s icon, as ecologists warn that the numbers have increased enormously in the past few years due to favourable weather. But many of the animals could starve, if the next summer brings a long dry spell, as is expected. To prevent this, large numbers are to be shot.