In Australia, it is proposed to shoot kangaroos so that they do not die of hunger
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Australian ecologists suggest shooting kangaroos so that the animals do not die of hunger – because the population of marsupials is growing, and during the drought they will lack food. The corresponding idea was voiced by environmentalist Catherine Mosby in an interview with the Australian broadcaster AFP, reports CBC News. “During the last drought, according to our estimates, 80 or 90% of kangaroos died in some areas. They die of hunger – they go into public toilets and eat toilet paper, or they lie on the road hungry while their babies try to feed themselves,” said the environmentalist in an interview with AFP. Photo: neelsky Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia chief executive Dennis King predicts Australia’s kangaroo population could soon reach 60 million – more than 2.3 times the number of humans. During heavy rains in Australia, there is a “demographic boom” among kangaroos, but then a drought comes, and the marsupials die in agony. However, if the “demographic boom” continues, animals will die of hunger. To prevent this, Catherine Moseby suggests killing some of the animals. “This will reduce their numbers, and then when the drought comes, we will not have problems with social security. If we treated them as a resource and managed them in this way, we would not have the catastrophic mortality that we are seeing,” the environmentalist added. National Geographic writes that 50 million kangaroos live in Australia – this is the symbol of the continent. However, scientists believe that their excessive reproduction harms not only the crop, but also the marsupials themselves. For example, the government of Victoria states that kangaroos can damage agricultural land, property and the environment, and even pose a threat to people. An overabundance of animals also leads to food shortages, which happened in 2016 and 2017. At that time, there were almost 45 million of these animals in the country – about twice as many as the human population. The last “population boom” was caused by rains, which helped to increase vegetation, but eventually the rain ended in drought. Expert Dennis King fears that soon the country may face a similar situation again. The breeding cycle is speeding up, and ideal weather conditions could see marsupial numbers rise for the next few years. Photo: Stringer_Image As a reminder, according to official data, kangaroos in Australia more than double the number of people. Their numbers have grown to “plague proportions” in the absence of traditional predators such as dingoes and hunting by Aboriginal hunters. Insurers claim that kangaroos are involved in more than 80% of annual accidents between vehicles and animals. At the same time, there are “quotas” for killing kangaroos in the country. The state allows hunters to control the number of marsupials, but in recent years these norms have been met by only 4%. Read also: In Australia, a man died as a result of an attack by a “domestic” kangaroo
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