Why do Aussies kill Kangaroos?

I'm aussie and I'm a vegetarian

Fellow australians will hate me for saying this but Australians kill Kangaroos because they're heartless bastards. Anybody who eats meat surely doesn't have a conscience. I believe in all animals having as equal rights as humans.

Kangaroos are quite attractive animals and it is indeed sad that they are shot to keep down the numbers. Unfortunately there are not many options that we can employ otherwise. Condoms have been used, but with their small arms it is difficult for the dears to pop one on when they need one. They have also received instruction in the rhythm method, but with all that hopping around it is difficult to keep a track of dates.

I know that there are many people in government and non-government organisations that would love for you to find an alternative.

However, its a cold hard fact that kangaroos and aboriginals are present in far greater numbers than before white settlement. We are indeed fortunate that at least the kangaroos can be legally culled.

Your question is a very valid one as many non-aussies ( and even some aussies themselves ) may not be aware that there are more of the common type kangaroos ( reds and greys) since the arrival of european man .

We have basically upset the natural balance and where a population has it's own controls .. i.e climate European man has changed that.

Before europeans came to this land the Kangaroo was controlled by the climate... if there was drought , there were less sources of food and in such times the Kangaroo becomes infertile until the drought has passed...

SINCE europeans, we have Irrigation (farmlands) and watered lawns and sporting grounds and the food source , even in times of drought, is plentiful enough to keep the kangaroo fertile and reproducing... BUT it's like a false economy .. the animals breed and seek sources of food from farms ( crops ) and sporting grounds ( golf courses and cricket clubs, private gardens.. AND This is a problem as the animals destroy these things...

The roos ARE cute animals BUT they can be dangerous ( imagine coming across a giant like this in your garden)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_NqulhmZWc

I like Kangaroos too .. as a child, our neighbours were farmers and they often had an orphaned Joey in a hessian bag in the kitchen ... BUT I UNDERSTAND the need to correct the balance we have destroyed.

Kangaroos are also very good eating , a nice tender gamey meat, but not everybody's cup of tea

There are some animals that are not as plentiful BUT they are not the ones that will be culled...

here are a few more clips for you to look at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_FVD0BR2Mc&mode=re...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uiGm677Ld4&mode=re...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fUmo7y3p3k&mode=re...

There are millions of kangaroos roaming free over most of the 8 million square kilometers (3 million square miles) area of Australia, so they are by no means endangered, and you often see them on trips into the country, where many people have "roo bars" on their cars. This is because they often leap out in front of cars, particularly at night, and you can write off your car if you hit one at speed, and they have been known to kill people, if they jump high enough to hit the windscreen, or merely by causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle. Around country properties, they can jump high fences, and eat the crops/pasture on the other side, reducing yields for farmers/graziers already suffering from a 10 year drought it the driest of all the inhabited continents, where most of the country is desert, and thousands are abandoning the land every year and moving to the cities, seeking work, as they can no longer make a living from their land. If you approached a kangaroo in the wild, and it couldn't escape, it would grab you with its forepaws, then jump and eviscerate you, (rip your intestines out) by kicking with its powerful legs. That's what the "boxing kangaroo" you sometimes see on Dave Letterman is trying to do, and it is how the males compete for females. I quite like "prairie dogs", and think they're cute, but I understand why American farmers kill them in huge numbers, because of the damage they do, and I hope you can now appreciate our position a little better.

DPMOOD has covered most of the reasons. In some cases culling the kangaroos can be relatively kind. Kangaroos have the ability to breed very quickly during good times, and when a drought comes, the excess numbers will die either of starvation or from a lack of water. Killing them quickly and humanely is kinder than a lingering death, and reduces the competition they provide for resources.

One other reason to kill kangaroos - they taste good.

In rural parts of Australia they are considered to be a pest and damage crops and natural vegetation. I am an Aussie and married to a farmer.I dont agree to killing kangaroos.They can also cause damage to cars. Also kangaroo meat is on the menu in restaurants now. In some parts of the far country they have reached plague proportion.

Kangaroos can make great pets. Problem is keeping them in. They jump fences and town laws do not permit high fences in most areas. One needs a permit from Wildlife Department to be allowed to keep one. However, they are basically wild and social animals and do not really enjoy the back-yard environment. There are tame roos which have been hand-reared from small joeys. They will hang around for a while after being weaned, but eventually they will head for the bush.

CUTE: like very big bunnies.

... but they can't live on the same land as cows or sheep.

Cows need grass at least 5 inches long, or they can't get it to their teeth behind their fat lips

Sheep need grass at least 2 inches long. So cows can't follow sheep in paddocks.

Kangaroos and rabbits can eat grass within half an inch of the ground. That is why, for cattle and sheep farms, kangaroos are pests no matter how cute they are.

Also, kangaroos are all muscle, like mules. When there is a drought on, like for the last 5 years, the roos come closer to water sources. That is usually near where man lives ... and where roads are.

Roos come out on the highways after dusk till dawn. That makes interstate travellers an endangered species.

For drivers after dark, roos are expensive pests.

How come you are so fascinated by Australia? Are you from there or do you want to go there?

As for Kangaroos, they need to cull them to keep the numbers down or they will eat all the food that other smaller animals need and the smaller animals will die......the Aussies see the Kangaroos as a bit of a pest really......a sort of big rabbit.....lol

We kill them as their numbers get way out of control and reach plague numbers when the weather and environment is ideal. They take away grazing fields from farmers and can strip the vegetation bare. I have been on both side i have looked after joeys and also been there when they have been culled i used to work at the parks and wildlife commission in the N.T I'm not saying i agree with the killing it's just i understand the reason as to why it has to be done.

Because we have more kangaroo's in Australia then people!! They destroy thousands of dollars worth of crops and farming materials every year!

I would check your facts too as it has been proven that it is physical and economicly impossible to control Australias pest problems. Even thought the roo is native it is still a pest. And yes they are cute and I dont like shooting them but I have too!