Kangaroos deserve better than being poached for k-leather
Kangaroos are gentle, land-dwelling, wild mammals that usually live in close-knit family groups called ‘mobs.’ These iconic animals of Australia are mainly active at night and early morning to graze, which is typically when they are hunted from a distance – all so their skin can be turned into leather, known as ‘k-leather,’ and be used in non-essential sporting products or as pet food.
Because kangaroos are often hunted in remote locations, there is no real way to effectively monitor animal welfare. Conservative estimates are that about 40 percent of the shots fired by hunters are not immediately fatal. And if the kangaroo manages to escape the clutches of the hunter, he or she ends up suffering a slow and painful death. Sometimes, joeys suffer an inhumane death by blunt-force trauma or are left to fend for themselves if they are still present in their mothers' pouches.
In the last 10 years, over 15 million kangaroos have been killed for the commercial trade, making it the largest commercial hunt of land-based wildlife in the world. This number doesn’t include joeys or other kangaroos who are incidentally wounded and then die, so the death toll is much likely higher.
Ending their lives in the cruellest of manners just to make fashion products such as hats, football boots, ice skates is unjustifiable, especially when there are plenty of non-animal and sustainable alternatives available in the market today.
It is thanks to your relentless support that brands such as Viking and Bol.com have removed kangaroo products from their range. With the support of compassionate consumers like you, we can move the world to protect animals and ensure the usage of wildlife in fashion comes to a halt.