The Kangaroo population estimates and quotas for South Australia were published on 6 January 2025. In a perfect and kind world, the maximum biologically possible population increase would be 10 per cent.

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2025

The total Kangaroo population estimate for South Australia in 2024, which sets 2025 quotas, is 4,922,375 (includes Eastern Grey Kangaroo) giving a quota for 2025 of 805,800, up from 577,000 in the previous year. If the quota was met in 2025, this would mean 230,000 joeys (not included in the data) would also die by decapitation, beaten to death or starvation if they escape.

While this cruel trade in wildlife should not occur at all, the following species should be removed from the commercial list with immediate effect because of significant damage to actual populations:

• Euro.

Then the recent 2020 additions:

• Kangaroo Island Sooty Kangaroo;
• Tammar Wallaby; and
• Eastern Grey Kangaroo.

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Red Kangaroo

• Estimated population is 2,975,551;
• 47 per cent increase on previous year;
• Previous year estimate was 2,019,168; and
• Quota is 563,900.

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Mainland Western Grey Kangaroo

• Estimated population (excluding Southern Agricultural region) is 938,598;
• 46 per cent increase on previous year;
• Previous year estimate was 643,427; and
• Quota is 164,200.

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Euro

• Estimated population is 460,774;
• 7 per cent increase on previous year;
• Previous year estimate was 430,872; and
• Quota is 46,400.

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Kangaroo Island Western Grey Kangaroo

• Kangaroo Island was not surveyed during 2024;
• Estimated population is 41,781 (from 2021 population estimate); and
• Quota is 4,178.

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Tammar Wallaby

• Tammar Wallabies were not surveyed during 2024;
• Estimated population is 384,671 (from 2021 population estimate); and
• Quota is 19,200.

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Eastern Grey Kangaroo

• The population estimate for 2023 has been used to set quota;
• Estimated population is 121,000; and
• The quota is 12,100.

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What the history tells us

The draft South Australian Commercial Kangaroo Management Plan 2025-2029 (Government of South Australia: Department for Environment and Water) makes the following claim:

“Conservation management efforts have been successful in increasing the population sizes of these threatened species (Sharp et al. 2014, Read et al. 2018). However, other species of macropods have increased in number due to changes in land use designed to improve conditions for domestic livestock (e.g. sheep and cattle).

South of the dog fence, predation by dingos has been greatly reduced (Pople et al. 2000; Letnic et al. 2011), while the number of watering points (Fensham and Fairfax 2008) and palatable plants (Newsome 1975) have increased in areas where there was previously little water and food. These changes have allowed macropod populations to increase in both number and distribution (Pople and Grigg 1999)”.

Set aside the South Australian Government’s inflated population estimates, and oddly the South Australian Government’s own data tells a very different story. A story of continual decline and not increase. The actual take is the key to understanding what is really happening to Kangaroo populations in the state. In some years, divergence of quota and actual take is very large indeed, this is an indicator that population estimates for each species are too high, resulting in unobtainable quotas, which cannot be met.

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Kangaroo shooting zone expansions in South Australia

South Australia has been the worst of all Australian states in pursuing remnant Kangaroo populations. The latest proposed changes will allow the commercial exploitation of Kangaroos in nearly all the places where they exist and will enable the commercial exploitation to continue, for just how long is the question?

Not that long is the answer.

“Most shooters will shoot for body size, but it depends on the density of the population. I did some work years ago in the north-west of the South Australian pastoral zone where shooters would shoot anything that moved because the density of the populations were so low and, really, it was almost an uneconomical activity”. Expert witness, Inquiry into the Health and Wellbeing of Kangaroos and other Macropods in New South Wales, hearing transcript 19 August 2021

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2024 actuals

To the end of October 2024 the actual commercial take of Kangaroos in South Australia was 88,782 against a full year quota of 577,000. The government’s full year projection gives the forecast actual take at 106,537.

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2023 actuals

South Australia has now published the actual commercial take data for 2023 and the result describes the problem. Just 16 per cent of the commercial quota was met in 2023. The total number of Kangaroos killed in that year for commercial gain was 100,594 out of a quota of 634,200.

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Shooting zone expansions

It appears that the geographic expansions proposed for South Australia for 2025 represent the last remaining opportunity to allow the commercial exploitation of Kangaroos in new areas. The most terrible of which is the full scale expansion into state reserves and national parks. It may be possible to add yet more protected Australian species to the commercial list but we doubt this would be viable.

So South Australia has now achieved what Victoria has achieved, no further opportunity for expansions and no way back from ever declining populations of Kangaroos.

What is particularly shocking is that the commercial exploiters of Kangaroos have been lobbying to access public lands, including state reserves and national parks, for a very long time and that this particular expansion is occurring at a time of extreme climate change and a global extinction crisis, of which Australia is in the very front row.

The kinds of changes that have enabled the commercial exploitation to continue, South Australia currently achieves around  20 per cent of the annual commercial quota for the state, are:

• Adding new species of Macropod to the commercial list;
• Expanding shooting zones, including onto public lands; and
• Improving access through various mechanisms including streamlining of processes.

An earlier and despicable attempt to add the Red-necked Wallaby to the commercial list appears to have failed, comments regarding the Tammar Wallaby are equally disgraceful:

“Red-necked Wallaby was removed from the proposal (2020-2024 South Australian Commercial Kangaroo Management Plan) and will not be included in the commercial harvest. No Tammar Wallabies will be culled from the reintroduced mainland population (until recently thought to be extinct). Clarity was added by including “Tammar Wallaby (M. eugenii) on Kangaroo Island and other islands” under the definition of “Kangaroo” page iv”.

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Kangaroo Island Tammar Wallaby

Following the catastrophic fires on Kangaroo Island in the 2019-2020 summer and very significant donations from around the world to rescue and rehabilitate wildlife this is what occurred in the period that followed.

“Tammar Wallabies have posed a challenge to survey on Kangaroo Island. Since 2019 several survey methods have been trialled, which include; helicopter flights with thermal cameras, spotlight road surveys, thermal binocular road surveys and finally an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flown at night with thermal cameras. Due to the nocturnal behaviour and small size of the species, the helicopter flights did not observe adequate numbers to provide a robust population estimate. While night time road based surveys produced higher estimates than the helicopter surveys, these were still restricted to road availability and had limited visibility in some areas due to roadside vegetation.  The quota for Tammar Wallabies for 2023 has been set at a conservative 5 per cent of the population estimate to account for data being collected over two years and to allow for further analysis of the data and fine-tuning of survey methods in the future”. South Australian Government: Department of Environment and Water

Quota for 2023 is set at 19,200, a 562 per cent increase over the previous year.

The South Australian Government’s 2023 Kangaroo commercial quota report gives the Tammar Wallaby’s population on Kangaroo Island as 384,671, which is an increase more than nine times the previous population estimate.

• Studying the 2023 quota report and away from the main description regarding the Tammar Wallaby’s population on Kangaroo Island, we find instead, in a line, in a table at the end of the 2023 Kangaroo commercial quota report the latest population estimate for the species at many times our own estimate for that population.
• The population of the Tammar Wallaby in 2020 was estimated to be 42,221, with a commercial quota of 2,900. This means that the Tammar Wallaby population on Kangaroo Island (mainland sub-species was thought extinct until rediscovered in New Zealand a few years ago) has, according to the estimates, increased more than ninefold in just two years. This does not appear possible but the significantly increased quota of 19,200 does make the species, in at least the short term, a viable proposition for commercial exploitation.
• Comment: Terrible to even contemplate that these beautiful Wallabies can end up in a pet food can, given the uncertainty in relation to the population, the increase in quota in  2023 was irresponsible and represents a crime against the natural world. What makes this even more shocking is that this is a species for which, on the South Australian mainland, the mainland sub-species was believed extinct until a relatively recent discovering of a population of these animals in New Zealand.

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History of population estimates, quotas and actual take

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For the Red Kangaroo the actual take in South Australia since 1975 was:

• 1975 – 35,710
• 1978 – 51,997
• 1980 – 111,247
• 1981 – 145,000
• 1982 – 172,100
• 1984 – 83,469

The 1990s were a period of very large scale killing of Red Kangaroos in South Australia for commercial gain and reflected the growth of commercial exploitation for financial gain. Essentially Kangaroos are something for nothing, unless that is, you happen to be a government underwriting the activity in its many dimensions. Populations were devastated over the 20 year period of most intense killing and have never recovered.

• 1990 – 172,793
• 1991 – 213,628
• 1994 – 278,346
• 1995 – 276,492
• 2001 – 193,400
• 2008 – 103,229
• 2010 – 65,192
• 2016 -  69,346
• 2019 – 68,711
• 2020 – 49,784 (Covid had little impact as commercial Kangaroo shooters continued their work, classified as an essential service).
• 2022 – 49,371
• 2023 – 58,644

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Slight upturn in actual take of Grey Kangaroos is because of shooting zone expansions and additional targeting of Eastern Grey Kangaroos. The Eastern Grey Kangaroo should be removed from South Australia's commercial list with immediate effect.

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The Euro should be removed from South Australia’s commercial list with immediate effect.

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2020

“South Australia’s Kangaroo commercial harvest zone will be expanded, and the 2020 quota has been set to help manage Kangaroos, as well as support primary producers. The Kangaroo commercial harvest zone will be expanded from South Australia’s pastoral area to cover Yorke Peninsula, Adelaide Hills, Fleurieu Peninsula, South East and Kangaroo Island". Government of South Australia

“The species of Kangaroo available for commercial harvest will include three new species, Tammar Wallaby (note from Peter Hylands – South Australian mainland sub-species once thought to be extinct and rediscovered about 20 years ago), Kangaroo Island sub-species of Western Grey Kangaroo (Sooty Kangaroo) (until recently listed as threatened) and Eastern Grey Kangaroo (note from Peter Hylands – classified as rare in South Australia until they decided to kill them commercially), as well as the existing species of Red Kangaroo, Western Grey Kangaroo and Euro". Government of South Australia

So what follows is an example from 2020, following significant expansions, of why this new round of proposed changes in 2025 are necessary to allow this heinous  and intensely cruel activity to continue, albeit at levels which are already low and increasingly unsustainable in terms of their economics.

In South Australia, the 2020 commercial quota for all Kangaroo species was 518,600 Kangaroos across the entire expanded harvest zone, representing a 477 per cent increase on the number of Kangaroos exploited for commercial gain in 2018. The population estimate for that year was 3,545,902.

Despite these expansions and a very low level of take against quota in 2020, the population estimate for Kangaroos in commercial shooting zones 2021 fell to 2,810,547.

“This quota for 2020 is less than the 2019 quota of 730,200 and reflects the reduced population estimates as a result of the current dry conditions”. Government of South Australia

In South Australia, a total of 74,027 Kangaroos were killed for commercial purposes during the first eight months of 2020. This was just 14 per cent of the commercial Kangaroo quota for the year. The projected kill in 2020 for all species in August of 2020 was 108,609 and by year end the statistics now show that 19 per cent of the annual quota was achieved with a total of 98,962 Kangaroos being killed for commercial gain (including Special Land Management Quota). No Tammar Wallabies were killed for commercial gain and the actual take against quota for the Euro was just 7 per cent.

These numbers reflect the true status of Kangaroo populations in South Australia.

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2022

The commercial quota for 2022 was 455,800, what actually occurred was that 100,896 Kangaroos were killed in South Australia that year for commercial gain, just 22 per cent of quota. For the Red Kangaroo it was 21 per cent of that species’ quota, with the largest number of animals actually killed for any species at 49,379 which was 49 per cent of all Kangaroos killed for commercial gain in South Australia in 2022.

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2023

To 31 October 2023, this is what the numbers tell us. From the full year quota of 576,300 just 87,174 Kangaroos (15 per cent of quota) had been killed for commercial gain. Government’s projected outcome for full year 2023 at the time was that 18 per cent of quota would be met at 104,609 animals. These numbers exclude Special Land Management Quota (SLMQ) and exploitation under SLMQ which is a concern because of the opportunities for topping up the numbers by raiding public lands including state and national parks.

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Quotas for 2024

• Red Kangaroo: Quota 343,200, up from 313,800 in 2023 (9 per cent increase).
• Western Grey Kangaroo: Quota 150,400, down from 200,200 in 2023 (25 per cent reduction).
• Kangaroo Island Western Grey: Quota not given.
• Euro: Quota 58,200, up from 29,300 in 2023 (99 percent increase).
• Tammar Wallaby: Quota 19,200, same as previous year.
• Eastern Grey Kangaroo: Quota 18,200, up from 13,800 in 2023 (32 per cent increase).

Total commercial quota for South Australia in 2024 was 589,200, up from 576,300.

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Quotas for 2024 based on 2023 population estimates

I am not going to discuss survey methodology here but I will concentrate on population estimates.

• Red Kangaroo: Estimated population was 2,019,168, an increase of 24 per cent from the previous year total of 1,626,425 and 33 per cent higher than the 20-year rolling average of 1,520,553 (2003-2022 data).
• Western Grey Kangaroo (mainland): Estimated population (excluding Southern Agricultural harvest region) was 725,075, a 36 per cent decrease from the 2022 population estimate of 1,125,586 and 21 per cent below the 20-year rolling average of 923,560 (2003-2022 data). The population estimate for the Southern Agricultural shooting zone was 311,144, an increase of 11 per cent from the 2022 population estimate of 279,505.
• Kangaroo Island Western Grey: Estimated population was 41,781 (no survey).
• Euro: Estimated population was 430,872 an increase of 15 per cent from the 2022 estimate of 375,921 and 11 per cent below the 20-year rolling average of 485,529 (2003 -2022 data).
• Tammar Wallaby: Estimated population 384,671 (no survey).
• Eastern Grey Kangaroo: No population estimate given.

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What does compliance management in South Australia actually look like?

Statements about strict compliance surveillance from Australian state governments can be misleading. The claim is always made but is it true?

In South Australia there are no compliance checks relating to the actual shooting of Kangaroos or the shooters as they are doing the shooting. This means that it is impossible for the South Australian Government to know just how many Kangaroos were body shot (ie not head shot as required by the regulations). There are no checks in relation to the actual shooting as this compliance task is considered too dangerous for government employees.

To recap, 100,896 Kangaroos were killed for commercial gain during 2022, slightly more than for 2021 (97,389 kangaroos), against a quota of  455,800, just 22 per cent of the 2022 quota.

“Due to work health and safety considerations, DEW staff do not conduct compliance of permit holders while they are actively shooting Kangaroos in the field”.

The department, DEW, does conducts compliance checks by inspecting carcasses in field chillers and at meat processing works.

In 2022, 10 expiation notices, 24 caution notices and four warning letters were issued regarding offences in relation to Kangaroos killed for commercial gain in South Australia

These notices were issued for: permit holder to supply returns within 14 days (17); use of out of date sealed tags (11); fail to return unused and out-of-date sealed tag (5) and other (4). There is no mention of any animal welfare issues.

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Codes ain't codes

The National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies for Commercial Purposes

The Australian Federal Government claims the following:

"The National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies for Commercial Purposes (the National Code) ensures a uniformly humane approach to the commercial harvest of Kangaroos.

An updated National Code was released in November 2020 and is based on the best possible welfare science. Extensive collaboration with stakeholders including the scientific community and animal welfare groups informed its development.

It is the responsibility of State and Territory governments to monitor and enforce harvester compliance with the National Code. Compliance with the National Code is a requirement of all Kangaroo wildlife trade management plans approved under the Commonwealth’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) administers the EPBC Act".

The reality, however, looks far more like this:

An update of the code, which is a document intended to lead international customers of this trade in wildlife to believe the commercial trade in Kangaroos is humane and sustainable, neither is true, was published in late 2020.

Concerned organisations were asked to make a submission to AgriFutures Australia in relation to the commercial killing of Kangaroos. AgriFutures Australia - formerly known as Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) is primarily funded by an annual Australian Government appropriation.

Our submission, with inputs from our team, taking several days to complete, was ignored. Not only was the submission never acknowledged, we were not even informed of the codes publication. The conduct of AgriFutures Australia is found to be highly prejudicial in this matter. The outcomes in the recent document describe this perfectly, representing a weakening of conditions.

The code is not enforceable and a vast number of abhorrent breaches to the code occur each and every night.

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Low rate of requests for damage mitigation permits

In 2022, 1,123 permits were issued to kill Kangaroos for purposes other than exploitation. The total number of Kangaroos on these permits was 61,489. This consisted of 5,862 Red Kangaroos; 46,161 Western Grey Kangaroos; 2,766 Euros; 1,030 Eastern Grey Kangaroos and 5,670 Tammar Wallabies. These numbers, which given claims of booming Kangaroo populations are an indicator that the situation is very different from that claimed by the South Australian Government, particularly so when just 22 per cent of the commercial quota was shot in that year.

From the South Australian Government Department of Environment:

"The maximum number of macropods allowed to be culled under a single permit is 1000. The numbers of animals that can be issued in any one permit is limited to ensure that there is fair and equitable access to the quota set by the Nature Conservation (Macropod) Conservation Plan 2005 for damage mitigation. This limit of 1000 animals can be applied to one species (e.g. 1000 Eastern Grey Kangaroos) or spread across several species (e.g. 300 Eastern Grey Kangaroos, 300 Wallaroos and 400 Red Kangaroos)".

What assistance can I get to manage macropod numbers? As the landholder you may apply for a DMP in your own name, allowing you to:

• shoot the Kangaroos yourself; or
• engage a person or persons who are licensed to use firearms such as a member of the Sporting Shooters’ Association of Australia (SSAA) or a commercial / recreational Kangaroo harvester.

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Australia summary

Figure 5 gives quotas and actual take for all the Australian mainland shooting states since 1980.

Australia wide, despite significant commercial shooting zone extensions in New South Wales and South Australia and the addition of the whole of Victoria as seven new shooting zones, the addition of new species to the commercial list, the killing of more female Kangaroos for commercial gain, the move into public lands including state and national parks and the simplification of and use of digital systems to streamline reporting requirements, the actual take and the actual take against quota continues to diminish. Take out all the recent ‘enhancements’ and the take Australia wide would be less than one million, 20 years ago it was more than three million. These numbers exclude the death of joeys.

The South Australian quota for 2025 of 805,800 Kangaroos, if the recent ‘enhancements’ described here are deducted, is not that dissimilar to the entire actual take mainland Australia wide in 2023.

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Note: Percentage of actual take increases mainly because the quota is lower in a given year. For example, the 2021 quota for Australia was 1,524,085 lower than the quota in 2020. What was particularly shocking was that for the quota alone, the reduction in the quota between those years was higher than the actual annual take in each year.

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^{Note: Excludes Tasmania / Excludes joeys}

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