08/01/2024
ASK CALLS FOR URGENT SUSPENSION OF KILLING IN NSW
The Australian Society for Kangaroos is calling for an urgent and immediate suspension of the kangaroo industry in NSW after a government report exposed state wide, catastrophic declines in kangaroos populations.
In suspicious timing, just before Xmas, the NSW government released it’s 2024 commercial kangaroo management program quota report, which revealed disturbing and catastrophic declines in kangaroos populations across NSW, and critical densities of less than five kangaroos per square km across most of the state.
Of further concern, is despite these critical densities and catastrophic declines in kangaroo numbers, the NSW government is continuing with business as usual and has issued killing quotas for the kangaroo meat and skins industry in 2024 at 14-17% of the remaining population, nearly double the rate at which they can breed. This is without a doubt, a recipe for extinction.
Further disturbing data in this report revealed that shooters for the meat and skins industry are not even filling these quotas, with just 20% of the quota killed last year. This is a clear indication that the population is in serious decline, with shooters unable to find kangaroos to shoot. It also indicates that the quotas are too high, most likely as a result of the numbers being inflated to cover-up serious decline caused by over shooting.
These catastrophic declines and the unrelenting high kill quotas set by the NSW government for the kangaroo meat and skins industry is a crime against nature that’s putting our national icon, unique to Australia, at significant risk of widespread extinction across NSW, and it must be suspended immediately.
Some of the most concerning declines are as follows:
Tibooburra- Red kangaroos declined by 75% since 2001.
Broken Hill - 60% decline in Red Kangaroos since 2022, 80% decline in Grey Kangaroos since 2001.
Lower Darling -Red Kangaroos declined by 36% since 2022, Greys by 40% since 2022, and 80% since 1994.
Cobar - Red kangaroos crashed by 42% since 2022, Greys crashed by a staggering 97% since 2001.
Bourke – Reds declined 50% since 2001 and Greys declined 95% since 2001.
Narrabri- Reds declined by 50% and Greys by 85% since 2000
Coonabarabran- Greys crashed by 40% since 2022
Griffith- Reds- catastrophic crash of 80% since 2022, Greys by 70% since 2019.
PLEASE: WRITE TO YOUR LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL MP'S, SUPPORTING OUR CALL FOR AN URGENT SUSPENSION OF THE KANGAROO MEAT AND SKINS INDUSTRY IN NSW.
PLEASE: ALSO SEND A SHORT LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF YOUR LOCAL AND STATE PAPERS AND CALL YOUR LOCAL TALK BACK RADIO STATIONS TO EXPRESS YOUR OUTRAGE AND CONCERN FOR KANGAROOS IN NSW. THANK YOU!!
THE ASK TEAM XX
You can read the report at the link below:
https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/-/media/OEH/Corporate-Site/Documents/Animals-and-plants/Wildlife-management/Kangaroo-management/commerical-kangaroo-management-program-2024-quota-report-230394.pdf
