Da Goddess

I'm Not Singing Kumbaya, I'm Just Tired of The Extra Crunch

Every once in a while, I read something and get a little fed up with the spin officials put on the facts and the way the media sugar coats the story. Bias in reporting is, unfortunately, nothing new. Still, I expect some level of truth in a news report, don't you?

Let's take a look at a situation that's been on the front burner in Australia for years now. Kangaroo culls.

I'm not a devout environmentalist by any means. I believe in conservation and preservation, with a dash of common sense thrown in. Wildlife lived off the land long before man came along and there are bound to be conflicts. When man decides to take control of that land he's going to want control over the flora and fauna. It makes sense in our skewed human logic sort of way. That's the nature of man. Then the killing culling begins. No matter how you present it, it's man claiming the right to rule all he sees, because it suits his needs. I get that. We're all like that to some extent.

When the government decides to put such a spin on a controversial practice, let's just call for the truth. Don't sugar coat the facts. It sounds foolish. Fact works better than a pretty little wrapped package of lies. Oh, wait. No they don't! Lies are always better received. Doesn't matter how educated and well-read the public is, a convincing lie ALWAYS wins out over the obvious truth. Especially with the kangaroo cull.

Still, let's use whatever logic we possess and try to follow the Australian government's way of thinking:

Dec. 19, 2003 — Australia has slashed its annual kangaroo cull for next year by almost a third to 4.4 million animals because of the severe drought, the government said Friday.

4.4 million. Down from 6.5 mil. That sounds so much more reasonable, doesn't it?

"Quotas are set as a proportion of the population and any decline in numbers due to the drought has been taken into account," Environment Minister David Kemp said in a statement.

Environment Minister my ass, David Kemp. You should be called the Enterprise Minister. It's not about land, crops, animals or anything other than the money generated from the byproducts of the kill. The truth is, nature has a way of culling animal populations naturally. The drought cause plenty of death to all Australian flora and fauna. Habitat destruction by humans does the same thing. What you're really trying to say, Mr. Kemp, is that you still want to make money off one of the most recognizable symbols of Australia.

"I am confident that the commercial kangaroo harvest quotas for 2004 are sustainable and will not jeopardize the ongoing health of Australia's kangaroo population."

Commercial kangaroo harvest...ahhh. There's the heart of the matter. It's a commercial enterprise. Money always speaks louder than anything else. Kill the kangaroos in the name of preserving Australia...right. What people want is to kill native animals, export their hides, the meat, and make a "killing" from killing. So much for one of that nation's icons. Skippy becomes a regular pest.

Hunters were cleared to cull 6.5 million kangaroos in 2003.

Not rats, mind you. Kangaroos. They aren't known for ravaging homes and apartments in search of food. They aren't boiling up from below the streets seeking sustenance. Of course, they'd much rather have our homes, with the big fancy kitchens in which to prepare their diet of wollybutt and other grasses.

Kemp said the actual number of kangaroos killed was normally only half of the official quota.

Yeah. 6.5 million is nothing. That was last year. This year, 4.4 million. Think about those numbers. We're not talking pennies. We're not talking rocks. These are macropods. Big animals! Look at how big Australia is! Australia is the sixth largest country in the world. It's about the same size as the 48 mainland states of the US and 50% larger than Europe, but has the lowest population density in the world - only two people per square kilometer.

Australian farmers argue that agricultural clearing and irrigation schemes have allowed the country's 50 million-plus kangaroos to reach unnaturally high numbers and without culling they would reach plague proportions and compete with livestock for food.

Huh. PEOPLE did this....to themselves...and they still want to eradicate wildlife so they aren't inconvenienced.

Kemp said only the most common kangaroos were killed and no marsupial species was under threat because of the cull.

Didn't they say the same thing here in the States about wolves, bear, mountain lions, and the bald eagle? Yeah. Thought so. You can't control the other animals that are accidentally caught in traps or in a gun's sights at night. That same argument hasn't worked for the fishing industry, and it doesn't work here.

I understand that humans battle nature all the time. It's the way it's been since humans decided they wanted to control the land...and everything that sprouts forth from it. That doesn't mean that what man does is right. Nor does it make us necessarily wrong.

When man creates a situation where animals can't survive without encroaching on land we've declared as our own, whose fault is that? We have a horrible track record, folks. Again, that's a part of our history and part of who and what we are. We can't escape that. But we can certainly 'fess up to it.

What we end up doing is justifying our desires to expand our claims. We can make money off the animals we kill by exporting the meat and the skins to other countries. They'll turn the kangaroo skins into shoes for athletes (David Beckham/Adidas have been targeted for this...and it's not really their problem...) and sell the meat at restaurants boasting exotic fare. More attention for Australia. Everyone will want to flock to Australia on vacation and see those kangaroos they've been wearing and eating.

Makes perfect sense doesn't it?

That doesn't mean we're necessarily wrong to want to live somewhere. It doesn't mean we're wrong to want to pursue a life of living off the land. But, we should be honest about it.

And, it all comes back down to money. Expand agricultural enterprises, kill the animals that get in the way, export their carcasses, create new markets for these products, generate interest in the animal and the animal's country of origin, and draw in more tourist dollars. A perfect plan.

Except for one thing. Destroying national icons means limiting the appeal of your country to others. Once the draw is gone, what else are you going to do to pull in more travel industry dollars? Oh, yeah. Maybe they can host the Olympics again.

Ironic, isn't it, that Australia promotes "Leave No Trace" tourism. (One of the tenets being "respect wildlife.") I was going to say that they should ask the same of their residents. Unfortunately, that seems to be the case, to the extreme opposite, when it comes right down to it. Leave no trace of the native species wherever you decide to settle.

Go read both articles. Think about the logic of the statements by the Environment Minister and the spokesman for the Kangaroo Industry, John Kelly. Then, take a look at Australia.com's website

It doesn't matter how you slice it, the reasons that Kelly, Kemp and the rest give for the cull are attempts to rationalize the true intent of what's happening. The selling of kangaroo meat and hides to other countries brings Australia a lot of money. As an extra benefit, farmers can expand their agricultural endeavors to greater proportions. It's about nothing more than pure greed, folks. It's time to stop sugar coating it. Admit the true reasons behind the culls. I may not agree with their reasoning, but I'll have slightly more respect for them because they're finally telling the truth. If they aren't willing to be honest, I think it's time we demand that the press is.

Posted by DaGoddess at December 22, 2003 01:32 PM