Australians Save 3,001 Kangaroos

An Australian court decided to end the military's plan to shoot 7,000 kangaroos on a base near Canberra. But the decision comes half-way through the program, so they've already killed 4,000 gray kangaroos. The military says the 9,000 kangaroos living in Austtralian Capitol Territory were over-grazing and destroying native grasslands.
Animal Liberation, the group that sued to stop the cull, says the science behind saving the kangaroos is flawed and that kangaroo culls are pushed by the "kangaroo industry" as a way to produce a kind of cheap, free-range 'roo meat. The meat is often contaminated and the clubbing of joeys and clumsy shooting of adults makes the Canadian baby seal-clubbing look quaint, the group says.
The local government is going to try to write some new laws and a way around the judgment so it can carry on slaughtering the kangaroos.
The case highlights the vastly different ways of viewing animals: either as populations to be managed to human desires or as individuals. I know it's supposed to be soft-minded to anthropomorphize and describe animals as unique characters. But you can't be around them without starting to think of them that way.
Think about another Australian making a decision about kangaroos at the same time. Surfer Neil McCallum saw a joey go out for an ocean swim and get caught in a riptide. He grabbed his surfboard and pushed the little kangaroo back to shore. The story made headlines around the world--not, I think, because everyone thought he was crazy to have bothered. But that's the story we'd rather hear about and rather believe about ourselves, the one where we go out and save even just one animal, no matter how pointless the gesture.

Kangaroo Ranches in Both Georga and South Dakota

For years I've wondered why entrepreneurs don't set up kangaroo ranges around the country. Now they are starting to. I visited the Kangaroo Conservation Center outside Atlanta last year. It's a bit of a stretch to call hauling kangaroos thousands of miles from their natural habitat to live in a fence visited by tourists "conservation." But it's a fun visit just the same.
Now there's a another kangaroo hot spot: the Roo Ranch in South Dakota.
The ranch made it into the news when one of their wallabies briefly escaped at the airport.
I haven't visited--yet--but they seem to be a little bit smaller and less programmed than Atlanta's Kangaroo center. Admission is only $15, but they do seem to count on making a lot of money off getting your picture taken with a kangaroo--kind of low rent like an amusement park.

Where to See Animals Down South
Where to See More Unusual Animals

A Trip to Georgia's Kangaroo Conservation Center

Kangaroo Conservation Center, Dawsonville, GA

On a farm 90 minutes north of Atlanta, hundreds of kangaroos hop in fields as if they were in their native Australia. The "Conservation Center" is the largest outpost of kangaroos outside Australia and a major source of zoo kangaroos. How much conservation is really on any one's mind is a big question. People come because it's fun to see herds of kangaroos on American soil, some up close.


You'll start out seeing an Australian greenhouse full of birds and tiny rat kangaroos. Then it's onto a tram tour, where you see three kinds of kangaroos behind tall chain link fences. Most kangaroos here happily live in natural social groups and with minimal human interference. After that there's barn show, where you'll get close to the tamer kangaroos and other Australian animals. You'll learn, for instance, that their pouches aren't as big and open-hanging as the cartoons make you think.


Afterwards, you can walk among the kangroo pens or see some other animals. Don't miss the Dik-Dik, an African antelope who wants to mark you with a tar-like substance from a gland under his eye.

Where to See More Animals Down South