The population estimate for the commercially exploited species of Kangaroo in Western Australia (from surveys in 2023) from which the commercial quota in 2024 is derived is as follows:

• Red Kangaroo – 609,155
• Western Grey Kangaroo – 1,086,235
• Total – 1,695,390

The initial figures from the Western Australian Government indicate that the population estimate of commercially exploited species in Western Australia in 2024 has declined from 2,156,550 in 2023, a reduction of 461,160 animals, following a decline in population from 2,399,190 in the previous year.

In 2024 the quota is 263,935 (reduced to 250,430 in February 2024), falling from 328,470 in 2023, again a reduction from 375,410 in the previous year. The 2024 quota consists of 36 per cent Red Kangaroos and 64 per cent Western Grey Kangaroos.

“Population estimates for 2023 indicated that western grey kangaroos remained at a relatively low density in the South-East Population Monitoring Zone (PMZ) at 0.22 individuals per km2; falling below the no harvest threshold…This is the third consecutive year in which harvest suspensions have been in place for the South-East PMZ, excluding the SEA Kangaroo Management Area where population densities have remained above the density thresholds”.

The population estimate for the commercially exploited species of Kangaroo in Western Australia for 2023 from which the commercial quota were derived as follows:

• The 2023 population estimate (derived from 2022 surveys) for the two commercially exploited Kangaroo species in Western Australia was 2,156,550 (falling from 2,399,190 in 2021), comprised 736,630 Red Kangaroos (falling from 1,219,645 in 2021) and 1,419,920 Western Grey Kangaroos (increasing from 1,179,545 in 2021).
• 2023 quota for both species was 328,470 (falling from 375,410 in 2021).

Discussing the detail of the estimates for that year, the Western Australian Government states:

"Population estimates for 2022 (basis for 2023 quotas) indicated that Western Grey Kangaroos remained at relative low density in the SE Population Monitoring Zone (PMZ) at 0.37 individuals per km2. Aerial surveys were last undertaken in the SE PMZ in September 2021 and previously in 2017. The SE PMZ has experienced average rainfall and below average to extremely low pasture growth over the last 24 months. It is likely that higher quality habitat for Western Grey Kangaroos exists in the coastal South East Agricultural (SEA) Management Area of the SE PMZ supporting higher densities. Above average rainfall and extremely high pasture growth along coastal areas of the SEA Management Area over the last 24 months supports this assumption".

Suspensions

"In accordance with the Management Plan for the Commercial Harvest of Kangaroos in Western Australia 2019-2023, Action 12 (DBCA 2019), the commercial harvest rate is to be suspended if aerial surveys indicate that the Western Grey Kangaroo population density within the SE PMZ or within Management Areas within the PMZ has fallen ≤0.80 individuals per km2. Therefore, harvest of Western Grey Kangaroos can only occur from within the SEA Kangaroo Management Area within the SE PMZ and there is to be no harvest of Western Grey Kangaroos in remainder of the SE PMZ in 2023".

2023 actuals

At the time of writing (January 2024), it is too early to provide a full year picture of what actually happened. Our own estimates show that it is likely that out of the full quota of 328,470, about 70,000 (around 21 per cent) were killed for commercial gain.

Red Kangaroo: Total killed for commercial gain was 19,660 out of a quota for the year of 207,340. That is 9.5 per cent of quota. 23.5 per cent of the actual take were female. The average carcass weight for male Kangaroos was 25.4 kilos and for females was 15.2 kilos. The average carcass weight of Red Kangaroos in the Northern shooting zone has fallen significantly over the last 50 years.

Western Grey Kangaroos: Total killed for commercial gain was 62,554 out of a quota for the year of 168,070. That is 37.2 per cent of quota. 35.4 per cent of the actual take were female. The average carcass weight for male Kangaroos was 29.5 kilos and for females was 17.7 kilos.

The Wester Australian Government describe climate conditions in Western Australia in 2022:

“Western Australia’s above average annual rainfall in 2022 was largely due to the second-wettest spring on record. The state-wide annual maximum and minimum temperatures were above average, but it was the coolest daytime temperatures since 2011. Early in January, an extreme to severe heatwave was observed in the Pilbara with temperatures climbing over 50 degrees at multiple sites”.

The old debate about whether the low actual take against quota is a demand or supply issue continues. We should remember that the major processor of Kangaroo carcasses in Western Australia closed its doors in 2016:

“VIP Pet Foods CEO David Grant said declining numbers of Kangaroos in WA coupled with an underutilisation of the company's processing plant in Perth were the driving factors in the decision. It's simply a financial decision, we have plenty of capacity in our Queensland facility and better access to Kangaroos so it makes sense to process it all in the one location. He said the company would now source mainly Eastern Grey Kangaroos from NSW, South Australia, Victoria and Far North Queensland”.

In its commercial harvest report for 2022 the Western Australian Government states:

“Limited demand for carcasses from processors continues to contribute to the significant reduction in active shooting of kangaroos for commercial purposes. There has not been a significant increase in demand across the industry”.

It might be that the damage mitigation data, that is Kangaroos killed under non-commercial permits, tells a different story. The number of licences issued and the number of Kangaroos targeted by those licences is listed below:

• 2020: 28 licences were issued for 3,519 Western Grey Kangaroos and 2,000 Red Kangaroos;
• 2021: 20 licences were issued for 2,445 Western Grey Kangaroos and 25 Red Kangaroos; and
• 2022: 10 licences were issued for 1,324 Western Grey Kangaroos and 450 Euros

NOTE: For 2020, the licences were issued manually with no real mechanism for returns to be collected. These were issued for 1 year. From 2021, the licences were issued from the Western Australian Government’s online licensing portal, this means that return data will be collected. However, nearly all of these licenses were issued for 3 year terms, so no data has had to be entered to date.

To be updated when 2023 figures are available.

2021 actuals

• Population estimate 2,412,050.

Commercial quota 381,880 (represents 17 per cent of estimated population of Red Kangaroos and 15 per cent of estimated population for Western Grey Kangaroos)

2021 actuals to end October were: for the Western Grey Kangaroo a total of 46,835 had been shot for commercial purposes, 16,198 (35 per cent) were female at an average weight of 17.6 kilos (approximate gross value of females $13 each). For the Red Kangaroo a total of 14,919 were shot, 3,659 (25 per cent) were female with an average weight of 15.2 kilos (approximate gross value of females $11.40 each). In the first ten months of 2021, just 16 per cent of the quota was filled.

The full year results for 2021 became available to us in September 2022. In total, including both species, 85,613 Kangaroos were killed for commercial gain, that is just 22.5 percent of the quota. Yet again, the take against quota is low, this does not mean there are no shooters, there are plenty of them, it means there are no Kangaroos.

In 2021 the total number of Red Kangaroos killed for commercial purposes was 22,814 of which 28.2 per cent were female. 13,588 of these animals were from the South Eastern Zone. There was no commercial killing activity of Red Kangaroos in the South Western Zone. The average weight of males was 25 kilos and the average weight of females was15.4 kilos.

For the Western Grey Kangaroo, the total number of animals killed for commercial purposes was 62,799 of which 33.8 per cent were females. Joeys are not accounted for but some thousands will have been killed or would have starved to death, and that takes out the next generation. Of the animals killed, 51,449 were from the South Western Zone. There was no commercial killing activity of Western Grey Kangaroos in the Northern Zone. The average weight of males was 29.6 kilos and the average weight of females was 17.8 kilos.

In 2021, the quota for the Red Kangaroo was set at 17 per cent of the annual population estimate, for the Western Grey Kangaroo the quota was set at 15 per cent. Since 2003 the number of Kangaroos killed commercially shows significant decline. There was no commercial harvest of Euros from 2003-2006 and from 2010-2015. There was no current plan that allows shooting of Euros for commercial purposes however Euros are shot for non-commercial purposes on farmland or leasehold land used for grazing.

2020 actuals

• Population (estimate) 2,412,050.
• Commercial quota Red Kangaroo 217,360 / actual take 30,022 / 13.8 per cent of quota taken / 25 per cent females.
• Commercial quota Western Grey Kangaroo 271,770 / actual take 70,871 / 26.1 per cent of quota taken / 35 per cent females.

2019 actuals

• Population (estimate) 3,090,605.
• Commercial quota Red Kangaroo 310,370 / actual take 28,546 / 9.2 per cent of quota taken / 22 per cent females.
• Commercial quota Western Grey Kangaroo 363,570 / actual take 59,926 / 16.5 per cent of quota taken / 27 per cent females.

2018 actuals

• Population (estimate) 4,249,560.
• Commercial quota Red Kangaroo 248,900 / actual take 19,044 / 7.6 per cent of quota taken / 22 per cent females.
• Commercial quota Western Grey Kangaroo 340,540 / actual take 47,720 / 14 per cent of quota taken / 25 per cent females.

2017 actuals

• Population (estimate) 3,734,775.
• Commercial quota Red Kangaroo 185,000 / actual take 17,844 / 9.6 per cent of quota taken / 20per cent females.
• Commercial quota Western Grey Kangaroo 191,325 / actual take 50,993 / 26 per cent of quota taken / 20 per cent females.

2016 actuals

• Population (estimate) 2,489,700.
• Commercial quota Red Kangaroo 131,500 / actual take 22,236 / 16.9 per cent of quota taken / 18 per cent females.
• Commercial quota Western Grey Kangaroo 216,400 / actual take 68,985 / 31.9 per cent of quota taken / 33 per cent females.

• 2015   2,392,800
• 2014   1,656,292
• 2013   1,841,501
• 2012   1,204,799
• 2011   1,815,719
• 2010   2,258,107
• 2009   2,557,970
• 2008   2,020,125
• 2007   2,617,175
• 2006   2,256,600
• 2005   2,636,800
• 2004   3,051,345
• 2003   2,413,400
• 2002   2,316,800
• 2001   2,497,480

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For decades the ABC, and Western Australia is no different, has broadcast poorly researched and extremely prejudicial material regarding Kangaroos. This continues despite the ABC being given the actual and accurate information. I would ask ABC journalists to think carefully about the damage they are doing, not only to Australia’s Macropod species, but to the standards we all expect from journalists in a publicly funded broadcaster. Examples follow.

ABC News October 2019: Landholders are calling for the 'roo meat industry to ramp up. Kangaroo numbers in Western Australia have jumped dramatically in recent years, prompting calls for an expansion of the state's kangaroo meat industry. Western Grey Kangaroo numbers have doubled since 2014 while the Red Kangaroo population has quadrupled.

Within the commercial shooting zones in Western Australia, the 2019 population estimate for these species was 3,090,605, reducing to a population estimate of 2,412,050 in 2020. The quotas accordingly reducing from 489,130 in 2019 to 381,880 in 2020.

Claiming a population of 50 million commercially exploited Kangaroos species in Australia in 2021 (which is false, as the official Australian Government figure for 2021 is 30.6 million – also significantly overstated), the ABC was yet again and cruelly promoting the further exploitation of Australian wildlife, while doing so, ignoring significant dangers to human health. This is what Australia's national broadcaster has to say:

“Our Kangaroo population is booming and competing with resources with farmers, so should we be eating more of them” ABC Perth 14 October 2022.

Peter Hylands spoke to the ABC producers in Perth and gave them the actual Australian Government number for that year, they ignored the information and instead adjust their article to the official number from the previous year. I guess having to report a 20 million drop was just more than they could bear. The article still stands uncorrected:

“Back in 2009 there were around 27 million kangaroos in Australia and now it is estimated there are 42.7 million, according to the Commonwealth Government”.

Here is an extract of Peter's correspondence with the producer.

“It appears that you have not corrected this article for a second time - it also needs an explanation that the ABC got the numbers wrong, not once, but twice. See my email of 22 October to both you and Damian. See table in attached document about yet an ABC QLD bit of nonsense. The Commonwealth Government number for 2021 was 30,671,768. This number itself is far too high and claims by the government that the numbers are higher are highly improbable given our detailed analysis of the situation”.

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The persecution of Kangaroos in Western Australia has a very long history going back to the early days of colonisation. We might want to spend a moment and consider the Indigenous people as well.

“The natives had so decreased that their destruction (Kangaroos) was necessary, as they ate up the natural grass from sheep and cattle. Mr. Monger said that it might suit Mr Padbury to have them destroyed, as there may not be many natives in his part of the country, but he could assure hon. members that to the eastward of York the natives lived upon them”. Western Australian Government Hansard, 20 December 1870

“In the former case, the human activities have resulted in the removal of large areas of the native vegetation, and its replacement by crops and pastures. The requirements of intensive agriculture are generally incompatible with the needs of the Kangaroos, and these animals are now restricted to a much smaller area than they formerly occupied. This trend of habitat destruction and interference is continuing, and it is the most important factor to be considered with respect to the (Western) Grey Kangaroo”. R Prince, Research Officer in charge of marsupial research, WA Government, ABC Radio, December 9, 1969

The population of large Kangaroo species in Australia as reported by the ABC AM radio program broadcast 16/2/1984, quoting the Hon. B Cohen, MP (Labor NSW) was 13 to 14 million.

Western Australia introduced its Red Kangaroo ‘Management Program’ in 1971 following concerns that the widespread, cruel and indiscriminate slaughter of Australia’s largest living Marsupial species would lead to its extinction in the state. In the first year of the program 57 Kangaroo shooters were licenced to shoot a quota of 225,000 Red Kangaroos.

Over the decade that followed the commercial take of Red Kangaroos declined from a short term average of 300,000 in 1970 to 150,000 by 1979. An increase in the number of Red Kangaroos shot in 1979 ‘ was entirely due’ to shooting more female Kangaroos and hence also killing their joeys (joeys not counted in the data).

Prior to 1971, the commercial exploitation of Red Kangaroos accorded to regulation (published 1952) as per the Fauna Protection Act, 1950. A frenzy of killing had occurred in Western Australia prior to the introduction of the ‘Management Program’ and particularly so in 1969 and 1970. There appear to have been concerns in Western Australia at that time that regulations were needed because of the decline in Kangaroo populations, not only in Western Australia, but in the eastern states, particularly New South Wales, at that time, placing more pressure on remaining Red Kangaroo populations in Western Australia.

In 2016, VIP Pet Foods CEO, David Grant, said declining numbers of Kangaroos in Western Australia, coupled with an underutilisation of the company's processing plant in Perth, were the driving factors in the decision to close the plant.

In 2022 the total number of Red Kangaroos killed for commercial gain in Western Australia had fallen to less than 20,000, that was less than 10 per cent of the quota for Red Kangaroos in Western Australia for that year.

Before the 1950s the commercial trade in Kangaroos (and Wallabies) from Western Australia was conducted to produce dried skins. Heat, lack of refrigeration, long distances of travel, all contributed to this feature of the commercial exploitation. By the mid 1950s, demand for dried Kangaroo skins had collapsed and the ‘trade’ in Kangaroos and Wallabies transitioned into pet food and attempts at promoting human consumption. The skins of these animals were not used and were discarded. By 1969, due to changing methods of treatment, skins were being sold for commercial gain once more.

It was reported at the time that the push to develop a market for human consumption of Kangaroo meat, some international, failed because of the unhygienic conditions surrounding both the carcass in handling and transport and the lack of any quality control. The shift to meat production was therefore almost entirely for pet food, which was exported to the eastern states and overseas, as well of course as local use. Red Kangaroos were the main source of this ‘trade’.

In many ways 1973 was a landmark year for Kangaroos, in the US, the US Government in Washington DC decided it would ban Kangaroo skin imports into the US as per the requirements of its Endangered Species Conservation Act 1969. At the same time, the Australian Commonwealth Government banned exports of Kangaroo products from Australia.

Today we are very much back to the over exploitation of Kangaroos and a journey to yet more regional extinctions.

When will it stop? Sadly, the answer to that question will be, when there are no Kangaroos left to shoot.

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