Welfare and Enforcement

The kangaroo industry is regulated by a National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies for Commercial Purposes.¹ The Code mandates the humane shooting of kangaroos and disposal of young that are with females. It also requires that shooters undergo a brief marksmanship course before obtaining a shooter's licence.

However, the Senate Select Committee on Animal Welfare (1988) found that: 'To some extent, cruelty to kangaroos has become institutionalised through the system of kangaroo mangement.' ² Because the shooting of kangaroos generally happens in the dark and often in remote locations, the cruelty is hidden from public scrutiny and policing.

It is estimated that at least 120,000 kangaroos suffer non-fatal body shots although it is unknown exactly how many kangaroos are left wounded.³ Even the most skilled shooter cannot maintain a perfect record. The Code mandates that shooters are to pursue these wounded animals and kill them.⁴ However, there is no commercial incentive to do this as shooters are only paid for head shot carcasses. There is no auditing except spot checks of carcasses brought to refrigerated containers (chillers).⁵ Based upon these issues, groups such as Voiceless and Animals Australia have argued that the Code is not adhered to and is difficult, if not impossible, to regulate and that the industry should be closed.⁶ A similar example is found in the whaling industry where there is inherent inhumane death and a popular call for cessation of the industry.⁷

There is mounting concern that the Code is not complied with in the case of killing of young.⁸ The Code mandates that this must be done either through decapitation or a blow to the head depending upon age.⁹ If joeys are not killed, it is very likely that they will die through starvation, predation or exposure. It is estimated that over a million joeys are killed as part of the commercial slaughter each year, however there is no accurate cumulative count.¹⁰

The non-commercial shooting of kangaroos and wallabies is regulated by the National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies for Non-Commercial Purposes.¹¹ The RSPCA has argued that large numbers of kangaroos and wallabies are killed cruelly under these non-commercial licences however exact figures are unknown.¹² Unlike commercial shooters, these shooters are not required to meet a competency test.¹³ They have no commercial incentive to comply with the Code.

References

1. Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies for Commercial Purposes (7 November 2008).

2. Senate Select Committee on Animal Welfare, Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia, Kangaroos (1988) [8.2] Cruelty to Kangaroos.

3. On average 3 million kangaroos are shot commercially each year. Using the RSPCA’s 2002 figure of 95.9% being head shot, this means that about 123,000 of the carcasses at chillers were not head shot. The actual total of body shot kangaroos would be higher as these carcasses should not be processed. RSPCA Australia (2002) Kangaroo Shooting Code Compliance: A survey of the extent of compliance with the requirements of the Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos. Prepared for Environment Australia (see http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/trade-use/publications/kangaroo-report/examination.html), Summary.

4. Department of the Environment Water Heritage and the Arts, National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies for Non-Commercial Purposes (2008) <http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/trade-use/wild-harvest/kangaroo/pubs/code-of-conduct-non-commercial.pdf> accessed 8 October 2010.

5. RSPCA Australia, Kangaroo Shooting Code Compliance – A Survey of the Extent of Compliance with the Requirements of the Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos (2002) [2.3.5].

6. Voiceless: the animal protection institute, Kangaroos <http://www.voiceless.org.au/The_Issues/Fact_Sheets/kangaroos.html> accessed 16 November 2010; Animals Australia, Kangaroo shooting <http://www.animalsaustralia.org/issues/kangaroo_shooting.php> accessed 16 November 2010.

7. See e.g. International Fund for Animal Welfare, Whales <http://www.mywhaleweb.com/> accessed 16 November 2010; World Society for the Protection of Animals, Stop Whaling <http://www.wspa.org.au/wspaswork/whaling/default.aspx> accessed 16 November 2010.

8. RSPCA Australia, Kangaroo Shooting Code Compliance – A Survey of the Extent of Compliance with the Requirements of the Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos (2002) [5.2].

9. Department of the Environment Water Heritage and the Arts, National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies for Commercial Purposes (2008) <http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/trade-use/wild-harvest/kangaroo/pubs/code-of-conduct-commercial.pdf> accessed 8 October 2010, Conditions 5.1.

10. Based on the Hacker et al. (Hacker R, McLeod SR, Druhan JP, Tenhumberg B, Pradhan U (2004) 'Kangaroo Management Options in the Murray-Darling Basin.' (Murray-Darling Basin Commission: Canberra)) with a 60% male harvest (or 40% female) the number of young-at-foot killed annually in the last decade is around 300,000 and the number of pouch young around 840,000.

11. Department of the Environment Water Heritage and the Arts, National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies for Non-Commercial Purposes (2008) <http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/trade-use/wild-harvest/kangaroo/pubs/code-of-conduct-non-commercial.pdf> accessed 8 October 2010.

12. RSPCA Australia, Kangaroo Shooting Code Compliance – A Survey of the Extent of Compliance with the Requirements of the Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos (2002), [5.1]; RSPCA Australia, What is the difference between non-commercial and commercial shooting? (Last updated 21 October 2009) <http://kb.rspca.org.au/What-is-the-difference-between-non-commercial-and-commercial-kangaroo-shooting_78.html> accessed 18 November 2010.

13. Department of the Environment Water Heritage and the Arts, National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies for Non-Commercial Purposes (2008) <http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/trade-use/wild-harvest/kangaroo/pubs/code-of-conduct-non-commercial.pdf> accessed 8 October 2010; RSPCA Australia, What is the difference between non-commercial and commercial shooting? (Last updated 21 October 2009) <http://kb.rspca.org.au/What-is-the-difference-between-non-commercial-and-commercial-kangaroo-shooting_78.html> accessed 18 November 2010.