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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,...

  According to Professor Kerin O'Dea, an expert in nutrition at the University of South Australia, there's no reason to doubt kangaroo being a healthy red meat. "It is very lean, a good source of protein and a very good source of iron and zinc," she says. One of the healthiest properties of kangaroo meat is its low fat content, coming in at less than 2%. "There is no visible fat on kangaroo meat, and the fat it does have is mostly polyunsaturated. Lamb and beef, on the other hand, are much higher in visible and saturate fat” O'Dea says....

  Want to reduce your carbon footprint without giving up red meat? Kangaroo could be your answer. Cows and sheep belch out large amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Kangaroos, on the other hand, produce very little of it. So switching to kangaroo can help ease your carbon-conscience. Kangaroos also have less impact on the land compared to cattle and sheep, according to Dr Rosie Cooney from the University of NSW "Kangaroos have a much lower environmental impact in terms of water used," she says. "Cattle and sheep also have hard hooves, which causes...

  Many people think kangaroos are farmed for their meat, but all the kangaroo meat on supermarket shelves and served up in restaurants comes from kangaroos harvested from wild populations.     Four species are commonly harvested – red kangaroos, eastern and western grey kangaroos, and the common wallaroo. Harvesting is regulated in each state by the relevant government authority, and management plans for the harvest must also be approved by the federal government.   According to the Department of Environment, the commercial kangaroo harvest is "one of the world's best practice wild harvest operations, with management goals based firmly...

Consider and consult with Indigenous Australians   Kangaroos hold spiritual, cultural and social significance to Indigenous Australians. It should be considered that Aboriginal people play a larger role in working with the government and commercial industry when it comes to management, sustainability and harvesting. Many Indigenous Australians oppose the mass commercial slaughter of kangaroos. Every year for the past decade, over 1.5 million kangaroos have been harvested. This is in stark contrast to Indigenous Australians who enjoyed a largely plant-based diet – animals were only ever harvested on a needs basis to sustain families and tribes. Harvesting kangaroos required (and...