'Alive and suffering': Commercial roo shooters accused of animal cruelty
'Alive and suffering': Commercial roo shooters accused of animal cruelty
Commercial kangaroo shooters are regulated under a national code that's supposed to protect animal welfare, but activists say what happens in rural Australia at night can be in breach of it, putting the industry under threat.
Commercial kangaroo shooters are required to adhere to standards of humane killing, set out by a national code of practice that was revised in 2020.
The code requires them to be correctly licenced and they are required to kill each kangaroo with a single shot to the head. They need to ensure the animal is dead, before targeting another one.
But hunting takes place after dusk, which makes it hard for even the most experienced shooter to get a clean single shot to the head.
The most contentious issue is the killing of female kangaroos with joeys and what happens to their offspring when the mothers are killed.