Each night in remote areas of the Australian outback thousands of kangaroos graze peacefully, stand up on hearing an approaching vehicle, stare into a blinding spotlight, and are shot for their meat and skins.
We the undersigned,
The petition of the undersigned shows we have grave fears for the future existence of kangaroos in New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia, and the fact that these state governments have already set commercial kill quotas at 12-20% of the population for the next four years.
According to scientific predictions, this could result in large-scale and irreversible extinctions of Red Kangaroos, Eastern and Western Grey Kangaroos, Wallaroos and Euros in the wild within a matter of a few years.
Considering this and other factors weighing against kangaroos' survival such as ongoing drought, climate change, DEVASTATING FIRES AND FLOODS along with ongoing large-scale habitat destruction, your urgent attention to the imminent extinction of our national icon is now needed.
Kangaroos should not be equated with herded production animals. They are free-living wild animals, many with young in pouch or at foot, highly susceptible to stress. As a result, current commercial kangaroo killing practice is commensurate with causing extreme cruelty to adults and infants, the outcome of which is to bring great shame on Australia as a society. It is conservatively estimated that three million joeys have died inhumanely as a result of this cruelty over the last 10 years.
Your petitioners ask that the Senate impose a moratorium on the commercial and non-commercial slaughter of Red Kangaroos, Grey Kangaroos, Wallaroos and Euros IN EVERY STATE OF AUSTRALIA.
We ask that this remain in place until such time as a full independent enquiry is carried out determining the extinction risk to kangaroo populations in light of new information that has come to the public's attention and the results of such inquiry be presented to Parliament.
