Current:Home > StocksA kangaroo boom could be looming in Australia. Some say the solution is to shoot them before they starve to death.-InfoLens
A kangaroo boom could be looming in Australia. Some say the solution is to shoot them before they starve to death.
View Date:2025-01-09 17:19:55
Australia loves its iconic kangaroos so much that it's willing to kill them. In fact, some ecologists are now warning that doing so may need to soon be a priority.
The island country has millions of the animals hopping about. While it is widely-adored symbol in Australia, having too many kangaroos has been known to cause problems. In Victoria, for example, the state government says that the animals can damage farmland, property and habitats, while also posing a risk to human safety.
An excessive population also poses a risk to the animals themselves, officials have previously warned, as a surplus of animals means that there is not enough food and many end up starving to death. This is what happened in 2016 and 2017, when government figures showed that there were nearly 45 million kangaroos – about double the amount of people in the country, according to the BBC.
That population boom was believed to be because of a bout of rainy conditions increasing vegetation, but like many rainy seasons, it ended with a drought – and a heavy price.
"The last drought we estimated that 80 or 90% of the kangaroos in some areas died," ecologist Katherine Moseby told AFP. "They are starving to death – going into public toilets and eating toilet paper, or lying on the road starving while their joeys are trying to feed."
Dennis King, executive officer for the Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia, told AFP that he believes the country could see another situation like that soon, as weather in recent years has created conditions for another boom.
"After three years of La Nina right down the east coast, we've seen the perfect growth scenario for kangaroos over the next couple of years," he said. "The breeding cycle really speeds up."
And if that happens, he believes the population could hit as many as 60 million kangaroos – more than 2.3 times the number of people in Australia.
And to prevent rampant animal starvation, Moseby says there is one thing that people can do to help: Shoot them.
"It keeps the numbers down so that when we do get drought we don't get these welfare issues," she told AFP. "If we saw them as a resource and managed them like that, we wouldn't get the catastrophic deaths that we see."
Fertility control and fencing have also been used as methods to control kangaroo populations, but according to the Victoria government, they are less humane and effective. Fertility control, the local government says, requires capturing the animals and risking their welfare, and only works for small-area population control. Fencing also risks animal welfare and is expensive to install and maintain.
"Shooting is considered to be the most effective and humane method to control kangaroos because the animals die quickly and it reduces the numbers rapidly," the Victoria government said in a document about kangaroo population control in 2017, adding that shooting to maintain numbers is done according to national standards.
Kangaroo species are protected by the country, but the nation does allow commercial harvesting to kill the animals in small numbers and sell products worldwide. According to King's Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia, commercial harvesting is allowed in six of the eight Australian states and territories that have large populations.
"Commercial harvesting is strictly regulated and monitored to ensure conservation, animal welfare and health and safety standards are upheld," the association says. "State governments develop unique kangaroo management plans to conserve kangaroos, measure populations, set boundaries for the harvest, outline how it will be regulated and ensure it's not detrimental to the animals or their ecosystems."
While many see the effort as a much-needed solution, others say it's a "slaughter."
"It is often claimed that kangaroos are shot because they compete with grazing animals — but this mass slaughter is purely and simply a commercial kill of Australian wildlife. In 2019, 1.57 million kangaroos were killed for the commercial industry," Animals Australia said earlier this year, citing federal data that also showed there was an overall population of more than 42.5 million kangaroos that year.
George Wilson, a leading kangaroo management researcher, told AFP that while he understands the intention in wanting to protect the animals, ending the culling would only "make it worse" for them in the long run.
"They say it's unethical, but it's unethical to let them starve to death," he said. "The cruelty is not doing anything about it."
- In:
- Endangered Species
- Hunting
- Australia
Li Cohen is a social media producer and trending content writer for CBS News.
veryGood! (7)
Related
- Massachusetts lawmakers to consider a soccer stadium for the New England Revolution
- 4-year-old girl dies from injuries in Texas shooting that left entire family injured
- This week on Sunday Morning (May 12)
- WNBA to expand to Toronto, per report. Team would begin play in 2026.
- Advance Auto Parts is closing hundreds of stores in an effort to turn its business around
- Miranda Cosgrove Details Real-Life Baby Reindeer Experience With Stalker
- 3 days after South Africa building collapse, hope fades for more survivors with 44 people still missing
- As Extreme Weather Batters Schools, Students Are Pushing For More Climate Change Education
- NATO’s Rutte calls for more Western support for Ukraine, warns of Russian alliances
- Most of 15 million bees contained after bee-laden truck crashes
Ranking
- Brianna LaPaglia Addresses Zach Bryan's Deafening Silence After Emotional Abuse Allegations
- KTLA Reporter Sam Rubin Dead at 64
- Former Miss USA staffer says organization caused pageant winners' mental health to decline
- Man pleads guilty in theft of bronze Jackie Robinson statue from Kansas park
- Gerry Faust, former Notre Dame football coach, dies at 89
- She was the chauffeur, the encourager and worked for the NSA. But mostly, she was my mom
- North Carolina Catholic school had right to fire gay teacher who announced wedding online, court rules
- Adam Lambert changes pronoun to 'he' in 'Whataya Want From Me' 15 years after release
Recommendation
-
Who will save Florida athletics? Gators need fixing, and it doesn't stop at Billy Napier
-
FLiRT COVID variants are now more than a third of U.S. cases. Scientists share what we know about them so far.
-
Love Is Blind's Bliss Poureetezadi Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby With Zack Goytowski
-
Here’s what to know about conservatorships and how Brian Wilson’s case evolved
-
The Daily Money: All about 'Doge.'
-
Stars avoid complete collapse this time, win Game 2 to even series with Avalanche
-
Battered by boycott and backlash, Target to no longer sell Pride collection in all stores
-
For second time ever, The Second City to perform show with all-AAPI cast