Kangaroos are beloved native animals. They are protected in every Australian state and territory and can only be managed with a permit. However the Kangaroo Management Taskforce believes that current approaches to kangaroo management are ad hoc rather than strategic and this can lead to adverse animal welfare outcomes. Kangaroo welfare issues arise particularly during periods like droughts, when feed and water requirements outstrip availability, resulting in catastrophic population declines.
Millions of kangaroos starve to death during severe droughts
Most urban Australians are probably unaware of the animal welfare crisis that faces kangaroos during periods of extended drought. When access to feed and water is greatly reduced many kangaroos starve to death. It is estimated that a minimum of 3 million kangaroos died from starvation, thirst disease and roadkill in NSW between 2016 and 2018, and that number could exceed 10 million nation-wide. This creates an unacceptable animal welfare situation. When millions of fish died in the river and lakes in Menindee at the same time there was international outrage, but for some reason millions of kangaroos perishing doesn’t seem to garner the same level of attention.
Kangaroos belong in our landscapes
Most landholders enjoy the sight of kangaroos in their landscapes and the intent of kangaroo management is never to eliminate kangaroos from the landscape, but to bring them into balance. We advocate regulating the large population fluctuations that can negatively impact landscape condition and cause large number of kangaroo deaths during drought.