Benefits of Kangaroo Treats - Harvesting
As kangaroos are indigenous to the Australian landscape they are designed to live in our climate and forage from the land in the wild. This means they are less destructive and have a smaller impact on the land and environment than other introduced animals that are raised for meat.
The commercial kangaroo industry is active in four of the mainland states: New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia and represents the largest commercial kill of land-based wildlife in the world.
The species that are currently harvested for commercial purposes are:
- Red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) in areas of Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, and Western Australia
- Eastern grey kangaroo (M. giganteus) in areas of Queensland and New South Wales
- Western grey kangaroo (M. fuliginosus) in areas of New South Wales, South Australia, and Western Australia
- Common wallaroo or euro (M. robustus) in areas of Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia
The availability of kangaroo meat through butchers, supermarkets and restaurants has increased over a number of years. Most Australians, however, know very little about how kangaroo meat is harvested and what environmental, ethical, cultural and health implications our growing taste for kangaroo meat may present.