Australia’s dirty secret is shooting kangaroos and cats at night, out of sight. The authorities consider both these animals vermin and pests because (a) the kangaroo competes with livestock for pasture and (b) the feral cat kills native species.
Kangaroos have been in Australia for millions of years. They are a native species. The Australian authorities consider them pests because they graze on land occupied by livestock. They are stealing the vegetation designated for livestock to feed humans. So this iconic Australian animal has to go. It is unlikely that they are going to be living the wild for the next million years thanks to the non-native white human.
“The largest land-based slaughter of mammals.”
The cat is a non-native species in Australia. The authorities consider them a dirty pest and vermin to be exterminated because they prey on native species. The authorities decry the cat because it is non-native. This can’t be the reason because they are exterminating the kangaroo in the same way: killing them at night, in secret.
Australia’s dirty secret: Mass Animal Cruelty
There must be a lot of Australians who like to shoot animals. I’m sure the shooters do it for pleasure but justify it as government business. The killing of cats is not confined to shooting but my God, Aussies do like to take pot shots at these animals.
Australians are guilty of mass animal cruelty carried out in secret so that most Australians appear to be unaware of it. Thousands of kangaroos are shot every night away from prying eyes. This is the dirty secret of Australia which has been exposed by filmmakers Mick and Kate McIntyre. It will be aired on March 13th 2018. Please see it. See a short preview on YouTube.
Alley Cat Allies make the entirely accurate statement that the plight of Australia’s kangaroos is similar to that of their feral cats. The iconic kangaroo is described as a nice wild animal. The cat is much loved worldwide. Both are nasty pests and vermin to the Australian government egged on by farmers I am sure. The persecution of these animals masks the true problem: the human who destroys wildlife habitat and pollutes and damages the environment. Read about the koalas for instance.
Government Campaign
Cats and kangaroos are the victims of a national government-led campaign to portray them as vermin. They are like a biblical plague of locusts eating their way through Australia’s assets. The government conveniently shunts into the long grass the dire impact that humans have on native species and the environment through, pollution, habitat loss, deforestation, mining and chemical run off. What about the destruction of the famous barrier reef? That’s caused by chemical run off from the land I believe. The arrogance of the Australian knows no bounds.
Non-native Species Argument
I for one am tired of hearing this cliched argument that non-native species are a problem to native species. When does a non-native species became native? Why are they less important than native species? They are both animals. Humans imported cats to Australia. Arrogant humans created the so called feral cat problem on the island. They have a duty to treat them humanely. Yet they ignore this argument.
Apparently some scientists disagree that kangaroos are competing with farmers for gazing land and are harming the environment. Does the Australian government have real evidence? The real reason is greed. It is about financial profit. Isn’t it always? The kangaroo skin and meat business is worth $300m annually.
There is no attempt to kill cats and kangaroos humanely. It is just a shooting fest. Professional shooters admit that the regulations (there are regulations?!) are ignored.
Australians need to look at themselves. They need to face some hard truths. Get your house in order first before you indulge in the mass slaughter of an iconic wild animal and a beloved domestic cat who turned feral thanks to irresponsible cat caretaking.
P.S. My thanks to Alley Cat Allies for writing a brilliant article on this and to Sandy for finding it.
