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Kangaroos killed for sport
The trade in wild birds
WARNING - Graphic pictures
Each year, millions of kangaroos are killed in what is widely regarded as the largest wildlife massacre on the planet.
Shockingly, the number one supporters of this barbaric trade are sports shoe manufacturers, who purchase the skins and turn them into football boots. Adidas, one of the industry’s biggest customers, is a major driving force behind the industry.
Australia exports approximately 3 million kangaroo skins, worth more than £12 million, to Europe and the USA every year. The vast majority of these skins are used to make football boots, some are used for golf gloves, baseball mitts and other sports goods. Products are often labelled “K leather” or “RKT” (rubberised kangaroo technology) to disguise the fact that they are made from the skins of butchered kangaroos.
Kangaroos are shot at night in the vast outback, miles from civilisation and away from public scrutiny. Hunters are supposed to adhere to a Code of Practice, a flimsy guideline document which is neither legally-enforceable nor linked to the Australian Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. According to the Code, to kill kangaroos ‘humanely’ hunters should shoot them once in the head, but frequently this does not happen and the animals may be shot in the throat, the neck, or have their jaws blown off. The Australian RSPCA released a report last year which concluded that at the very least 100,000 adult kangaroos each year are not killed ‘humanely’, but admitted that number was a conservative estimate as it did not take into account the unquantifiable number of injured animals who escape only to die slow, agonising deaths from their injuries.
Official numbers for the kill do not include the baby kangaroos who also die as a result, the worthless ‘waste’ of the industry. Each time a female kangaroo is killed, it is likely she will have two baby ‘joeys’ - one in the pouch and one ‘at foot’. Tiny joeys are pulled from their dead mothers’ pouches and stamped on, clubbed, decapitated, shot or simply left on the ground to die. Older joeys hop away into the night invariably to die of starvation, predation, cold or neglect. The industry and its customers refuse to discuss the plight of the joeys, knowing that the public is horrified by the senseless killing of these baby animals.
By continuing to use kangaroo-skin, Adidas is showing itself to be devoid of compassion and ethics. Viva! is calling for an international boycott of all Adidas products. We must make Adidas realise that people will not tolerate our planet’s wildlife being slaughtered for unnecessary, luxury items such as football boots.
The trade in wild birds
There is no straightforward way of ascertaining whether a bird in a pet shop has been bred in captivity or taken from the wild. By asking the manager, you are not guaranteed correct information - it may be that he/she does not know the full history. Imported wild-caught birds are typically cheaper to purchase than their captive-bred counterparts, which is why they are still traded in such large numbers. 88% of parrots, parakeets, lovebirds and related species - some 23,920 individuals - imported into the UK between 1995 and 2000 were wild-caught.
People who buy these birds might be unaware that they have contributed to a trade that involves cruelty and high mortality and also threatens the survival of many species. The Environmental Investigation Agency estimates that, for every bird who reaches a petshop three others will have died during capture, confinement and transportation.
Bird trapping methods vary from country to country and depend upon the size of the target. Small birds are often trapped in bulk, whereas larger species may be trapped individually. Much cruelty is involved in trapping, partly because any who die can usually be replaced quickly and cheaply. Most methods are indiscriminate with untargeted species regularly caught. Birds are often left for hours or even days struggling in the trapping nets, sometimes dying of dehydration.
Birds have been reported to spend up to eight months at the holding premises of exporters prior to transport by air to their final destination. Studies of conditions at holding grounds have found overcrowding and an absence of food, water or light. Symptoms of distress include feather-plucking, dirty plumage, wounds and exhaustion. Filthy conditions, overcrowding, excessive temperatures and trauma increase disease susceptibility.
Those who die on route to the consumer are spared the artificial, caged existence that awaits their cousins. In the wild many species - for example parrots - travel and feed in flocks. This brings to each individual not only a degree of safety and security, but also important social interaction and development skills. In captivity, birds are frequently solitarily confined. In some cases isolation can last for decades.