It's not controversial. They've always been pests to us here in Australia. It's the people from other countries who think they're cute - roos are not cute, they are ravenous eating machines, they are dirty and they were never designed to live in a modern agricultural context!
They're only a pest due to human intervention with their habitat in order to produce beef. Humans clear land for cattle grazing and act surprised when the kangaroo (extremely similar biological niche) population also booms. I'm not sure what to make of your last sentence and fail to see how it's relevant.
Brumbies, wild rabbits, feral pigs, cane toads... the list of introduced species that are a much bigger problem than roos goes on and on. Kangaroos are a native species and while I understand that we may need to control their numbers, I don't think it's fair to describe them as pests.
I drove from Melbourne to Adelaide and back last weekend, a round trip of around 1500 km. I ended up driving both directions at night. There were half a dozen near misses with kangaroos. I also had to dodge at least half a dozen dead kangaroos on the road.
The big problem with them is that usually there isn't a single kangaroo to try and dodge on the road, but several at once. The recommended course of action upon encountering a roo on the road is to just keep driving straight. If you try and dodge it, you're just more likely to crash your car and just as likely to hit a kangaroo. They're big enough to cause a lot of damage to a car too.
They're absolutely a pest, and there are unnaturally high numbers of them from eating crops. Culling keeps the population down to healthy numbers. I think that most opposition to culling is because they're Australia's national animal. Nobody complains about culling foxes and goats. I also don't see how culling is any less ethical than farming cows or sheep.
Also, this is an interesting quote:
> There may be no animal and nation in the world more closely identified.
I'd argue that New Zealand and Kiwis are much more closely identified, to the point that New Zealand and Kiwi are literally synonymous. If someone asks me what nationality I am, I'd say "Kiwi" before I said "New Zealander". Never heard an Aussie refer to themselves as a roo.
I've had people ask me if "Kiwi" is a racist term too. I've always thought it was such a strange concept that someone might think it's racist.
But then again, I guess it's racist to call French people frogs, so I can understand how someone would come to the conclusion that it's racist to call someone a Kiwi.
racism
1 Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against
someone of a different race based on the belief that one's
own race is superior.
This abuse of the word better stop soon or people will start wearing T-shirts with 'racist and proud of it' in sheer frustration from being called 'racist' at the drop of a hat.
Not to stoke the fires here, but I assume you are referring to the fact that being from France or being from New Zealand does not indicate any particular race, and so the terms (meaning someone from France/NewZealand) can not denote "racism".
However, I think it's generally the case that when people use the term "racist", they mean "derogatory based on the origin of the person", and not necessarily their race. Language is flexible and people use terms in common usage which is does not adhere to prescriptive definitions. I have to admit being quite pedantic myself, but have come to accept looser definitions of words as I get older. As long as I understand what the person is intending to say, I try not to worry about what they actually said. This has helped me communicate with people greatly. YMMV.
The problem is that the 'racist' label is so poisonous in our (western-European, north-American) culture that it is being used to silence others, no matter whether they actually are racist or not. It does not take much to be called 'racist', sometimes drinking a glass of milk is enough [1,2].
I know someone doing the same drive that hit a kangaroo and left their car written off in the middle of no where - had to wait for a call to come out for someone to pick them up.
> How do you get roos to use the bridge instead of just using the road?
The same way they got wolves, deer, oppossums, raccoons, coyotes, dogs, elk, and more to do it? They’re mainly underground tunnels or overpasses that are covered in natural materials, free of scary, fast, roaring machines, etc
I have driven across Australia several times. Parts of the Nullarbor at night was like playing Space Invaders - the roos just kept on coming, probably in the thousands.
I didn't hit any, just like I don't hit animals when driving here at home. As with everything else in traffic, it's all about keeping your eyes peeled, your attention focused, and your driving speed sensibly adjusted to conditions.
Pardon the off-topic but I'm curious about the meat, does it have similarities with other common meats like beef, pork, chicken in terms of texture, fats and taste?
It's most similar to venison (deer meat) or rabbit.
It's incredibly lean meat, almost no fat and very red, and it has a very strong gamey flavour. People either love it or hate it. If you overcook it, it's like eating leather.
I'm now a vegetarian, but it used to be my favourite meat. I used to eat it more often than beef. It also helps that kangaroo meat is cheaper than beef in Australia.
It's a lot like beef, not surprising since they essentially fill the same niche. The flavor is a lot stronger though, personally I couldn't eat a thick roo steak like a would eat a beef one, a burger with a thin patty is fine.
The reason Kangaroos have come to be considered pests is simple: land clearing.
Where there was once forest or dense scrub is now open pasture or grassland.
This increases the food supply for livestock but of course also increases the
supply for Kangaroos - and Kangaroos are much more efficient eaters than sheep
or cattle.
So there are two options really:
* Maintain livestock and cull Kangaroos; or
* Reduce stocking rates, replant native vegetation on cleared land and the
Kangaroo population will reduce accordingly.
Dingos are their natural predator. But we've killed all the dingos because dingos also eat livestock.
It's the same as with deer in Europe and America. Wolves and beers are their natural predators, but then we killed all the wolves and bears because they ate our sheep.
Flip it around. Humans are encroaching on kangaroos' natural habitats. We're clear cutting and razing the land to grow crops and raise livestock. We've severely reduced the population of the kangaroos' predators.
And now apparently we think the kangaroos are "in our way" and a "controversial pest".
As far as driving goes roos are a scourge, especially when dealing with the reds which are the size of a large adult. Poor dumb things sit on the road to warm up, get mesmerised by headlights, and get hit. To date I probably see 50 dead roos on the side of the road for every live one. At least those you can deal with if you drive carefully and semi-slowly during dusk/night.
That being said I've heard far too many stories of roos hopping alongside the car and inexplicably deciding to cross through you car effectively kamikazing themselves.
Unfortunately 2000km-long tall fences along major highways aren't financially viable and at the end of the day we are driving through their habitat
45 comments
[ 3.0 ms ] story [ 83.1 ms ] threadHe was shocked and horrified to learn Australians eat kangaroo meat, that it's easily available in any supermarket.
A bit later we asked for cuisine suggestions, and our reaction when he suggested we try horse sashimi was not much different...
The big problem with them is that usually there isn't a single kangaroo to try and dodge on the road, but several at once. The recommended course of action upon encountering a roo on the road is to just keep driving straight. If you try and dodge it, you're just more likely to crash your car and just as likely to hit a kangaroo. They're big enough to cause a lot of damage to a car too.
They're absolutely a pest, and there are unnaturally high numbers of them from eating crops. Culling keeps the population down to healthy numbers. I think that most opposition to culling is because they're Australia's national animal. Nobody complains about culling foxes and goats. I also don't see how culling is any less ethical than farming cows or sheep.
Also, this is an interesting quote:
> There may be no animal and nation in the world more closely identified.
I'd argue that New Zealand and Kiwis are much more closely identified, to the point that New Zealand and Kiwi are literally synonymous. If someone asks me what nationality I am, I'd say "Kiwi" before I said "New Zealander". Never heard an Aussie refer to themselves as a roo.
In my native language, Kangaroos are closely associated with Australia, but New Zealanders are never called Kiwis.
In Singapore I was asked if it’s ok to refer to me and a Kiwi because they thought it may be a racist term.
But then again, I guess it's racist to call French people frogs, so I can understand how someone would come to the conclusion that it's racist to call someone a Kiwi.
[1] https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/racism
However, I think it's generally the case that when people use the term "racist", they mean "derogatory based on the origin of the person", and not necessarily their race. Language is flexible and people use terms in common usage which is does not adhere to prescriptive definitions. I have to admit being quite pedantic myself, but have come to accept looser definitions of words as I get older. As long as I understand what the person is intending to say, I try not to worry about what they actually said. This has helped me communicate with people greatly. YMMV.
[1] https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/milk-white-supremacy-ra...
[2] https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/17/us/white-supremacists-sci...
Also, I'm pretty sure they like hanging out on the road, because the road traps heat and stays warmer at night.
The same way they got wolves, deer, oppossums, raccoons, coyotes, dogs, elk, and more to do it? They’re mainly underground tunnels or overpasses that are covered in natural materials, free of scary, fast, roaring machines, etc
You would have to put up extremely tall barriers along all the roads, which is an expense I think most people would be unwilling to fund.
Often they seem to just be standing around on the road until I light them up with my headlights and they start moving.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-36891868
They're delicious.
It's incredibly lean meat, almost no fat and very red, and it has a very strong gamey flavour. People either love it or hate it. If you overcook it, it's like eating leather.
I'm now a vegetarian, but it used to be my favourite meat. I used to eat it more often than beef. It also helps that kangaroo meat is cheaper than beef in Australia.
My personal favorite is to use roo strips instead of bacon/ham on a chicken parma https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_parmigiana .
Most people don't like it. It's usually used as pet food.
The best roo I've ever had was Kangaroo tail, cooked over many hours buried under the remains of a campfire. (aboriginal style)
pulled it out, cracked the fur off it (cause it melted and cooked into a hard shell) then peeled the meat off with my fingers... it was buttery soft.
This increases the food supply for livestock but of course also increases the supply for Kangaroos - and Kangaroos are much more efficient eaters than sheep or cattle.
So there are two options really:
* Maintain livestock and cull Kangaroos; or
* Reduce stocking rates, replant native vegetation on cleared land and the Kangaroo population will reduce accordingly.
It's the same as with deer in Europe and America. Wolves and beers are their natural predators, but then we killed all the wolves and bears because they ate our sheep.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emu_War
And now apparently we think the kangaroos are "in our way" and a "controversial pest".
We should take a good look at ourselves instead.
That being said I've heard far too many stories of roos hopping alongside the car and inexplicably deciding to cross through you car effectively kamikazing themselves.
Unfortunately 2000km-long tall fences along major highways aren't financially viable and at the end of the day we are driving through their habitat