A KANGAROO cull in the South East will in no way “wipe out” the species according to Mount Gambier commercial harvest proponent Glenn Fry.
Mr Fry has been involved in Victoria’s current kangaroo pet food harvesting trial and shooting permits and believes a trial is a sustainable system to manage the considerable “pests”.
The State Government is currently exploring the South East’s potential as a commercial kangaroo harvesting zone following consultation with stakeholders, including the agricultural sector.
Mr Fry – an experienced gun-handler – said the kangaroo was an Australian icon and no cull would ever be able to wipe them out.
“They are like a cockroach and if we do not tackle the issue now it may lead to serious problems in the future,” he said.
“Shooting them is swift and humane and they do not go through any long-lasting pain.
“When a car hits one they can be left on the side of the road in pain for hours before passing away.”
Mr Fry said a cull was necessary from the amount of kangaroos clinging to high-traffic Limestone Coast roads, with Mount Gambier recently named the state’s top postcode for kangaroo-related crashes.
“You can go a couple of kilometres out of town and they will be everywhere,” he said.
“Asking me how many I see when travelling is like asking how long a piece of string is.
“You start counting and end up losing count.”
Mr Fry said the game meat can not only be good for pet consumption, but also humans.
“Farmers are able to get a permit in South Australia but they are not able to do anything viable if they were to shoot them,” he said.
“They get dropped on the ground and their carcasses are left to rot.
“They have great leather and the meat is edible so if it is sustainable, why not use a resource here which is in our backyard.”
Mr Fry believes it is only a “matter of time” before a South East producer starts farming the animal.
“In South Australia you leave them where they lay, tag them and make sure it goes right back through the government’s guidelines,” he said.
“We are told you are only able to shoot the bucks, which you can tell the difference in the way they move.”
Shooting is all trial and error according to the gun-handler, but Mr Fry said kangaroo harvesting could potentially create job opportunities.
“At the moment kangaroo meat is going for around 77c per kilogram, so roughly a 25 to 30kg kangaroo would be making around $20,” he said.
“Once you work out your costs, you really are not making too much.
“The bigger kangaroos will not last forever and once you start getting through the average height will fall which is where the money profits will drop off.”
According to Mr Fry, a harvesting trial went forward around three years ago in Kingston but not a single kangaroo was shot.
“I do not know why or how this could happen,” he said.
“When I go out and shoot for a farmer there would be hundreds of them you can see.
“Why would you not get some money back?”
The survey – due to be completed late July – is used to estimate the kangaroo population and guides the establishment of commercial kangaroo harvest quotas.
