FILM REVIEW
September 2020
By ShirleySienna
or concern for the joeys, left either to die slowly or have their skulls smashed cruelly. Property owners, and conservationist’s living in the vicinity, are in a dangerous situation literally dodging bullets, receiving threats, and discovering rotting body parts on and around their properties. Helen - “The movie was an eye opener. The lack of proper procedure and regard by the Australian Government regulators is appalling. It appears they are more concerned with looking after profit and business, than ensuring guidelines of humane killing are followed and basically disregarding the protection and environment of our native icon. Surprise, shock and horror ran through me whilst watching the documentary ‘Kangaroo’. I felt I was reasonably informed about the Kangaroo industry and its part in the eco and economic system of Australia. I was very wrong. This was echoed by friends John and Helen, as we watched the movie together.
“Commercial licenses should really be reviewed yearly and, if they are deemed to have failed to work ethically and responsibly, they should be banned from the industry. “I have to wonder how long before Kangaroos are at the point of extinction?”
When you drive out of the suburbs, it was commonplace to see mobs of kangaroos John - “Kangaroo was a real eye opener to me. The fact that the Australian Government grazing and drinking from the billabong, or local dam at dusk. This is becoming a rare conspired with the USA to export kangaroo sight and, in some areas, they no longer live skin to make baseball gloves and high-end at all, having been quietly, under the cover Nike shoes, appalled me. How it made me of darkness, culled into local extinction. feel, knowing they have done this behind the public’s back and to export the meat in We were all stunned to realise that numbers such large amounts is beyond words!” of kangaroos are actually much lower than we could have imagined, as we invade and The film also documented the impact people who live on the bordering properties push them away from their land, minimize their numbers and compete for space. The where ‘roo killing takes place. We were film showed clearly the unbridled killing of shown clear evidence of the lack of care, kangaroos for human consumption, product cleanliness and proper procedures by the and the pet food industry, as unmitigated legalised and licensed shooters’, which chaos and one can only conclude that this exceeded the borders of animal cruelty. It seems there is little regard for humane killing must be addressed. Photo supplied by: ShirleySienna
8
Supernal Magazine
