Stop America's Role in the Kangaroo Slaughter

Every year, more than a million of Australia's iconic kangaroos are killed for commercial products, while hundreds of thousands of their babies are killed or left to die. Now, a disturbing new investigation reveals even more reasons to end America's involvement in this cruelty.

According to a new report from the Center for a Humane Economy and Animal Wellness Action, commercial shooters kill approximately 1.3 million to 1.5 million adult kangaroos annually. An estimated 500,000 dependent joeys are also killed or left to die.

The suffering is heartbreaking. Kangaroos are shot at night, often in remote areas with little independent oversight. Government records obtained by investigators document animals shot in the body rather than the head, some suffering devastating injuries. When mothers are killed, their joeys may be bludgeoned or decapitated. Others escape, only to face starvation, exposure, or predators without their mothers to protect them.

Kangaroos are sentient wild animals with strong maternal bonds. Their lives should not be reduced to the value of their meat and skins.

The new investigation, Australia's Global Bushmeat Trade, also exposes troubling food-safety failures. Government records obtained by investigators show that meat from an export-approved processor exceeded a European Union bacterial-contamination threshold by more than tenfold in 2025. According to the report, meat that failed testing was nevertheless released to export markets.

Yet the United States remains a market for this cruelty. Kangaroo meat is imported for human consumption and pet food, while kangaroo leather has been used in commercial products.

But there's hope. Major athletic footwear companies have already abandoned kangaroo leather, and kangaroo meat exports have plummeted 86% from their early-2000s peak. The industry is declining. Congress can help close another market for this cruelty.

The Kangaroo Protection Act, introduced in the Senate by Senators Tammy Duckworth and Cory Booker, would prohibit commercial imports and interstate trade in covered kangaroo products.

Please sign the petition urging Congress to pass the Kangaroo Protection Act and end America's role in this cruel commercial trade.

The petition to Congress reads: Pass the Kangaroo Protection Act to prohibit commercial imports and interstate trade in covered kangaroo products. The United States must stop supporting an industry that kills more than a million kangaroos and hundreds of thousands of dependent joeys annually, perpetuates terrible animal suffering, and raises serious food-safety concerns. Protect Australia's iconic wildlife by ending America's participation in this cruel trade.
_______

Sources:

https://act.centerforahumaneeconomy.org/a/kangaroo-report-survey

https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/news/press-releases/duckworth-booker-renew-push-to-ban-the-us-sale-and-manufacturing-of-k-leather-and-protect-kangaroos-from-largest-commercial-slaughter-in-the-world

Photo Eastern grey kangaroo credit Wikimedia used under CC