Kangaroos: our commitment to save them, our collaboration with ‘Adelaide Hills Kangaroo Rescue’

Support for actions in the field is vital

Our campaign #SaveKangaroos launched at the end of 2019 reaches a new milestone with concrete and direct help for the many victims of commercial hunting, very young kangaroo pups otherwise doomed to certain death.

In Australia, kangaroos and many other wild animals need rescue and assistance for a wide variety of reasons:

• the destruction of the habitat due to "natural" causes such as massive fires or floods
• road investments,
• becoming trapped in the miles of fences that in the Australian outback demarcate areas designated for farmed animals
• death from poisoning or hunters' gunfire.

Before sanctuaries, areas where animals can live free according to their nature without taking other risks, the first line of rescue and care is staffed by 'licensed wildlife carers' , trained operators, such as Linda White and Courtney D'Crus, of the Adelaide Hills Kangaroo Rescue.

And it is precisely at their level that we LAV have decided to intervene, where most needed to enable animals in need to survive.

Supporting their action in the field makes the difference between life and death.

24 HOURS AROUND FOR INJURED AND ORPHANIZED KANGAROOS

For the past decade Linda and Courtney have been caring for injured and orphaned kangaroos, in a commitment that requiresa systematic presence 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Kangaroos at birth measure only 2cm and remain in the pouch for 6 months and weaning ends at about 18 months.

When a mother kangaroo is killed, it is not uncommon to find a kangaroo pup in her pouch, as well as to find a lost few-month-old baby near the kill site.

An adult female can simultaneously care for a "pouch-young" (a joey that has not yet explored the outside world) and a so-called "young-at-foot" (an older joey, already able to ambulate, but still heavily dependent on its mother).

Bearing young kangaroos (baby-joeys) means devoting to their care day and night, for months.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA: 100,000 KANGAROOS KILLED EVERY YEAR

Adelaide Hills Kangaroo Rescue is located in South Australia, one of the states where living as a kangaroo is most difficult and dangerous. This is one of the reasons we decided to help the facility.

All of South Australia is open to commercial hunting, with the only exception being the metropolitan area of the capital city of Adelaide.

According to data published by the Department of Environment, in South Australia alone, an average of 100,000 kangaroos are killed for commercial purposes each year.

The huntable species are the Red Kangaroo (Macropus rufus), the Western Grey Kangaroo (M. fuliginosus), which includes the mainland subspecies (M. fuliginosus melanops) and the Kangaroo Island subspecies (M. fuliginosus fuliginosus), the Eastern Gray Kangaroo ( M. giganteus ), the Euro (M. robustus) and the Wallaby Tammar (M. eugenii).

Our commitment to saving animals also includes concrete solidarity with those who rescue them and give them uninterrupted attention and care: Adelaide Hills Kangaroo Rescue is invaluable in the battle for kangaroos and we are happy to stand by their side.

Together we can help Adelaide Hills Kangaroo Rescue care for and save many animals that otherwise would not make it.

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