Kangaroos are an iconic part of Australia’s landscape and culture, with populations estimated to number millions across the country. These native marsupials thrive in various environments, from open grasslands to urban fringes, often adapting well to changing conditions.
While kangaroos are a beloved symbol of Australia, their numbers can fluctuate significantly due to drought, food availability, and human activity. A government proposal to cull thousands of kangaroos in and around Australia’s capital has ignited a heated debate.
A $350,000 government plan to cull thousands of kangaroos across 16 parks surrounding Canberra has sparked a heated debate, pitting environmental management against animal welfare and urban planning.
As the sun sets and the last picnickers pack up, professional shooters move in, tasked with reducing kangaroo numbers. According to the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) government, this is necessary to protect the environment, local economy, and community safety.
But is this the best approach, or is it time for a more innovative, compassionate one?
The ACT government argues that kangaroo overpopulation in these reserves leads to problems. Overgrazing by large mobs can strip grasslands bare, threatening native plant species and the animals that depend on them.
There are also concerns about kangaroos wandering onto roads, causing accidents, and encroaching on urban areas as Canberra’s suburbs expand.
According to government spokespersons, the cull is based on scientific advice: ‘Leading scientists and land managers with decades of experience in ecology, land management, and kangaroo management have calculated an operational target of 2,981 kangaroos to be removed.’
The operation is complex and costly, requiring overtime for staff, contractors, planning, monitoring, and specialised equipment.
The case against culling
Not everyone is convinced that shooting is the answer. Gwenda Griffiths from Save Canberra’s Kangaroos said the $350,000 could be better spent on long-term solutions, such as building wildlife overpasses and underpasses.
These structures, used successfully worldwide, allow animals to cross busy roads safely, reducing the risk of vehicle collisions and enabling kangaroos to move between habitats naturally.
‘It’s not rocket science and we’re not reinventing the wheel,’ Griffiths said. ‘Sure, they’re expensive, but they could benefit humans as well.’
She argued that by allowing kangaroos to disperse more freely, we could avoid the build-up of large populations in small reserves, potentially reducing the need for future culls and freeing up funds for other community priorities like health and education.
Griffiths also challenged the idea that kangaroo populations need to be artificially controlled.
‘For thousands of years, kangaroos have lived in varying conditions and have regulated their own reproduction,’ she pointed out.
‘We need to stop thinking the only solution is to shoot them. We need to get better at sharing the environment.’
Exploring alternatives
While shooting remains the primary method of population control, the ACT government has begun trialling fertility control using the GonaCon contraceptive vaccine.
Only 18 females have been treated this year, but the plan is to expand the program to cover 60–80 per cent of adult females in targeted reserves.
The vaccine must only be administered once, making it a potentially cost-effective and humane alternative in the long run.
Urban planning is another area ripe for improvement. As Canberra’s green spaces become increasingly hemmed in by development, wildlife corridors and better city design could help prevent the kind of population bottlenecks that lead to culling in the first place.
Griffiths and other advocates argued that planners should consider wildlife movement to ensure that kangaroos and other native species aren’t trapped in shrinking pockets of habitat.
Another point of contention concerns the fate of the culled kangaroos. Unlike other states, the ACT does not commercially harvest kangaroo meat or skins.
Some carcasses are given to Traditional Custodians for cultural purposes, and others are used as bait for controlling dingoes and foxes.
However, the majority are disposed of, raising questions about waste and respect for the animals.
We want to hear from you! Have you witnessed kangaroo overpopulation in your local area? Do you think culling is justified, or should governments be investing in alternative solutions? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.
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Well one state culled koalas so why not kangaroos. This is getting out of control as far as native wildlife is concerned.