Nothing shouts Australia to the rest of the world more than the iconic kangaroo. One of Australia’s original inhabitants, it appears on our coat of arms – and for this reason, you would think that we would have a great deal of respect for it.
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However, while these creatures are considered ambassadors of Australia to the rest of the world, in regional areas they are viewed as “pests” that destroy crops and damage cars due to their unpredictable ways.
Their desperation for food has had them moving closer to inhabited areas.
Sometimes too close for comfort. One Armidale woman suffered numerous lacerations after offering a wayward kangaroo who made its way to her back yard some bread only to have it leap at her.
The NSW Government’s decision to relax its laws around kangaroo culling – so that farmers can manage their population and protect their crops - was welcomed, however little mention was made of the diversity of kangaroo species and their roles in Australia’s fragile ecosystem.
With culling permitted, kangaroo populations will decrease. But what people fail to realise is that the populations are already “less” as the female of the species is able to delay the attachment of the embryo to the fetus and control pregnancy when there isn’t enough food and water for survival. Males, too, are unable to produce sperm required for successful mating during the dry season.
There appear to be higher numbers as more creatures come out into the open to search for food, but there are “less” of them due to control breeding and more car accidents as a result of kangaroos placing themselves in danger in their frantic efforts to find sustenance. Roads are littered with their carcasses and local panel beaters are doing well with all the damaged fenders.
Dawn and sundown were the most dangerous periods, however kangaroos appear on our roads progressively earlier as the drought continues and help themselves to food and water supplies.
Systematically killing them off might solve a problem in the short term. But what about the future beyond the drought?
There is evidence that some species, such as the red kangaroo, may actually be on the brink of an irreversible population collapse.
The future looks bleak for Skippy. Let’s not kill our cute and cuddly ambassadors. Can you imagine Australia without these creatures?