Kangaroos in the firing line in Australia

Make patties out of them and sell them to McDonalds...or even better, to Moss Burger. RooBurgers would rock.

The roos were there before the people came and brought cities, cars and bedroom windows with them.

Would anyone suggest gunning people down to solve the global human population problem?

Leave the roos alone.

Dont kill skippy!!!!!!

Thats like gunning down lassie.

Im with you Cleo, it never ends, mans domination will be his demise.

I wonder, was such a fair, rational article published in Japanese? Much of the anti-Australian propaganda that I see coming out of Japan (often in retaliation to anti-whaling messages) includes very inflammatory and far from the mark statements about kangaroo(/dingo) culls, as if there was a real comparison to be made. I've wondered whether dispassionate, objective information about the necessity of kangaroo culls isn't published in Japan, or just intentionally ignored by propagandists.

kangaroo(/dingo) culls, as if there was a real comparison to be made.

Of course it can, killing an animal is killing animal. Just becauase Australians(or at least the Australian government) lacks proper land and human population management, is no reason to kill inncocent animals.

Kangaroo's aren't even recommended to be killed humanely(The suggested culling methods by the government, beating young Kangaroos with metal pipes or "forcefully swinging” the heads of young Kangaroos against a vehicle tow bar). True moral authorities on the humane treatment of animals and true hypocrites.

dispassionate, objective information about the necessity of kangaroo culls

There is no 'necessity'.

Would anyone suggest gunning people down to solve the global human >population problem?

Kangaroos, as well as all other "animals" aren't Human beings. They can be cuddly, cute, warm & fuzzy, play a vital role in nature's balance, even be tasty....but they're not Humans. This Cleo, is the fundamental flaw in your line of thinking.

Of course it can, killing an animal is killing animal. Just becauase >Australians(or at least the Australian government) lacks proper land and >human population management, is no reason to kill inncocent animals.

It's redunadant and pointless to use the term "innocent animals". ALL animals are innocent including man eating great white sharks and rogue tigers, as they are simply following theie natural instincts rather than contemplating some sort of "crime".

dispassionate, objective information about the necessity of kangaroo >culls There is no 'necessity'.

There is indeed a necessity if Human beings are being injured or dying as a result of a population explosion.

Much of the anti-Australian propaganda that I see coming out of Japan (often in retaliation to anti-whaling messages) includes very >inflammatory and far from the mark statements about kangaroo(/dingo) >culls, as if there was a real comparison to be made.

I agree that there is no comparison between killing any animal for food and killing any animal for the sole purpose of killing it.

they're not Humans. This Cleo, is the fundamental flaw in your line of thinking.

No, the fundamental flaw is in the 'thinking' (or rather the lack of it) of the neanderthals who see nothing wrong in blasting away at anything and everything they come across, whether it's because it's tasty or simply because it's in the way.

Human beings are being injured or dying as a result of a population explosion.

As a result of the continuing drought, roo numbers are down nationwide from an all-time high of 60 million in 2003 to 23 million or lower today. It's sheer mental laziness (or blood lust) to claim that the only way for humans and kangaroos to share a huge, empty country like Australia is to kill the roos.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article5923025.ece

It's redunadant and pointless to use the term "innocent animals". ALL animals are innocent including man eating great white sharks and rogue tigers

It's also redundant and pointless to use the term 'rogue' as they are simply following their natural instincts rather than deliberately and with malice aforethought rebelling against some man-made law regarding where tigers are allowed to go and what they are allowed to do there. And great white sharks only become man-eaters when men intrude into their environment. Stay out of the water and it's highly unlikely you'll get eaten by a shark.

No, the fundamental flaw is in the 'thinking' (or rather the lack of it) >of the neanderthals who see nothing wrong in blasting away at anything >and everything they come across, whether it's because it's tasty or >simply because it's in the way.

Neanderthals went extinct a long long time ago and it's an established fact that they didn't "blast" anything, they beat, stabbed or smashed their food into submission. Additionally, ad this may come as a shock to you, but if you read the article with an open mind, you may notice that no one is suggesting blasting at "anything and everything", only the Kangaroos.

As a result of the continuing drought, roo numbers are down nationwide >from an all-time high of 60 million in 2003 to 23 million or lower >today. It's sheer mental laziness (or blood lust) to claim that the only >way for humans and kangaroos to share a huge, empty country like >Australia is to kill the roos.

Ok, then how about you send your money to fund an operation that will capture (unharmned of course) every Roo and transport them far far away from human civilization?

It's also redundant and pointless to use the term 'rogue' as they are >simply following their natural instincts rather than deliberately and >with malice aforethought rebelling against some man-made law regarding >where tigers are allowed to go and what they are allowed to do there.

Wrong, because not all tigers, in fact the vast majority of them, do not pose any threat to Humans, a requirement to earn the "rogue" title.

And great white sharks only become man-eaters when men intrude into >their environment. Stay out of the water and it's highly unlikely you'll >get eaten by a shark.

Stay off of airplanes and it's highly unlikely that you'll be in an airplane crash. Good thinking. Too bad the world doesn't work that way.

Cleo

Would anyone suggest gunning people down to solve the global human population problem?

Drawing a moral equivalency between killing kangaroos and humans. Were you even thinking when you wrote this?

how about you send your money to fund an operation that will capture (unharmned of course) every Roo and transport them far far away from human civilization?

I'd rather my taxes were used for that than used to transport a fleet of death ships and floating abattoirs far far away from human civilisation in order to support a dead and indefensible industry. If the roos could be captured unharmed they could be sterilised and released. That would reduce numbers over time (assuming that they do need to be reduced, I'm not sure we can trust the numbers put out by the men with the guns.)

You would find it hard to come across anyone in Australia who likes killing Kangaroos for the sake of it. Australia is an enormous land mass with equally enormous numbers of Kangaroos used to surviving in Australia's harsh arid environment. Around close settlement areas where food and water are plentiful populations can soon grow into plague numbers until the natural food supply is exhausted. Kangaroos and cars don't mix well, if your car hits a large kangaroo you could be killed. If a male Kangaroo attacks you with his sharp and powerful paws it can do a lot of damage. Australia harvests Kangaroo meat from large cattle stations where they compete for food with farmed cattle. They are a beautiful animal and sit proudly on our national emblem. Plague numbers in city environments are a real dilemma and cause considerable debate as authorities agonize on how to overcome the problem. They would be a good alternative meat source to Japan's wild whale meat issue. It is a high protein low fat meat and they can be farmed on huge outback cattle stations but not domesticated. Perhaps Japan and Australia should get together on this as they have with the Blue Fin tuna farming as reported in Japan Today. It was a win win. The issues around Kangaroos need a similar practicable solution. The concern by your readers comments is admirable.