Allison Holmes Anth 410Scoggin3/8/13

Kangaroo Burgers

When you think of a kangaroo the first thing that comes to mind is definitely

not a big juicy delicious burger. Yet kangaroo is a very sustainable resource, for

thousands of years indigenous people of Australia have hunted kangaroo. Even

during contact period when European settlers came to Australia they relied on

kangaroo to survive. Now kangaroo is being commercially hunted, which

surprisingly not a bad thing. Usually when commercial hunting occurs there is over

exploitation and species can become threatened. Commercial kangaroo harvesting

rarely meets its quota and is environmentally friendly. However, with all its

benefits, commercial harvesting of kangaroo has turned a blind eye to the aboriginal

people that rely on the kangaroo for a resource, not only as meat but also for social

and cultural purposes as well. What if the commercial industries work together

with the indigenous people and create a clean, green, and fair trade product that

would appeal more to its consumers? That is what I would like to propose; two

groups each helping to benefit from one another.

Kangaroos are one of the largest populations of wild animal species in the

world. They are by no means threatened or endanger; in fact they could easily

become over populated. “Pastoral activities in much of the Australian arid

rangelands are supporting a large population of kangaroos which, if uncontrolled,

would seriously threaten the economic viability of the pastoral industry and the

environmental sustainability of huge tracks of land”(Buckely). According to the

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Kangaroo Industry Association of Australia (KIAA) there are forty-eight species of

kangaroo but only 4 can be commercially harvested (Kelly). Quotas are set based on

population surveys and long-term climate trends (Buckely). Kangaroos are one of

the few species that have annual population census. Because kangaroos are highly

adaptable to drought there population has increased over the past 25 years, even

with commercial harvesting (Kelly). An average of 3 million kangaroo are harvested

yearly (Buckely). “ Environmental Australia reports that harvest rates over the past

five years are on average thirty to fifty percent lower than the available quota

allocations and in South Australia only half of the available quota is harvested in

most years” (Thomsen).

Kangaroos are harvested in the most humane way possible. Because they are

in their natural environment there is a lot less stress put on the animal than say

cattle who are rounded up, loaded into a truck, and transported to be slaughtered. If

done correctly the animal is killed quickly with little pain, in its own environment,

making it one of most humane forms of animal slaughter (Buckely). They are then

exported to fifty-five different countries (Buckely).

Kangaroo meat has huge environmental benefits. Kangaroos are soft footed,

they have less of an impact on the ground and landscape (Buckely). Where as

animals like cattle and sheep have hard hooves that cause more damage to the

landscape. They need less food than grazing cattle need, which can exploit the land

quite quickly. Kangaroos can also adapt better to drought conditions than cattle

(Buckely). Kangaroos do not emit methane. Cattle and sheep do, beef industries in

Australia account for fifteen percent of the country’s carbon emissions (KIAA). This

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is a great new way to look at how animals that are processed for human

consumption are better for our environment. More and more people are becoming

concerned about the environment, if there is a product that does less damage to

global warming, you would assume that they would pick that product over the one

that does not. Kangaroo leather is also very light weight and strong, making it a

sustainable product that is very high quality and in demand( Buckely).

Yet commercial kangaroo industries have little understanding about what

issues commercial harvesting presents to aboriginal people. Kangaroos are

important to the survival of Indigenous people of Australia. They hunt thousands a

year and their meat and skins are a very valuable resource. “Aboriginal peoples

maintain a strong belief that continued association with and caring for ancestral

lands is a key determinant of health” (Buckely). This is very important because

where most Aboriginal people live is in very remote locations. It is not easy to put a

store in near by, thus taking care of the land and animals is very important, it the

source of survival. “For many years, high rates of morbidity and morality among the

Aboriginal population of Australia have been a major concern of researchers,

healthcare professionals, government and Aboriginal people themselves. Nutrition

is the big issue” (Saethre). If some how aboriginal could become involved in

commercial kangaroo harvesting it could benefit their communities greatly. One

idea that Saethre explains is the aboriginal communities should stop buying

products from stores and start consuming more food hunted and gathered from the

bush. Our diet is based off of our ancestors; our bodies have evolved to process the

food that occurs naturally in our environment more efficiently. When food from a

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different region is introduced it can cause health issues. Our bodies have adapted

over thousands of years to the environment we live, when we start eating something

that is different to our diet it, our bodies have a hard time obtaining nutrients from

it. If aboriginals could work with the commercial harvests and take a small

percentage of their kill home, this would start improving the health of the aboriginal

communities.

However there is still a lack of consideration of social and cultural issues in

commercial kangaroo harvesting. Kangaroos have cultural, social, and spiritual

significance, there are certain ways a kangaroo should be treated and handled in the

eyes of the indigenous people. If Aboriginal people could become involved in

commercial harvesting, educating employees in certain harvesting techniques

would be a win win situation. Yet some communities view commercial harvesting

as culturally unacceptable. Other communities is it unacceptable on sacred grounds

but acceptable in other areas. In several communities, is it only acceptable to

consume the tail of certain species (Thomsen).

Traditional practices often conflict with commercial industry practices. If

Aboriginal people were involved in the management of kangaroo harvesting they

would be more equipped to deal with issues that arise and could resolve them

better than a non-Aboriginal. The industries could actively employ and incorporate

the interests of indigenous people, it could become a way of providing meaningful

employment and economic support for some of the most disadvantage people in

Australia (Buckely). There is a high unemployment rate within Aboriginal

communities due to lower educational outcomes.

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There are no programs or policies to help indigenous people become

involved in commercial harvesting. Only one Aboriginal in South Australia has held a

permit for commercial hunting in recent years (Buckely). Kangaroos are often

harvested on aboriginal land or on land with a native title claim. In South Australia,

fifty percent of the land where kangaroos are hunted have native title claims

(Buckely). Involvement of Aboriginals could help resolve this issue by educating in

practices of proper technique and respecting the land that the kangaroos are hunted

on. Equipment for commercial harvesting is expensive and hard to come by,

developing micro finance loans to help indigenous people get started in the business

could really help the communities.

If we could create a fair trade product labeling system, this might just be the

best way to support indigenous communities. This system would allow consumers

to buy kangaroo products that provide a fair and equitable financial return

(Buckely). The slightly higher price of the product goes to the people who made it.

The money that is generated can be used for community development to provide

culturally appropriate education, research, and industry training. It also can help

make the communities more healthy and vibrant, with kangaroo meat as a staple

and money coming into the community. Educational practices in nutrition can be

taught. “ Aboriginal- endorsed products are likely to have increasing market appeal

because of widespread support for reconciliation amongst the Australian public,

strong and growing endorsement of the importance of Aboriginal culture to

Australia” (Buckely). If people like the fact that they know where their food is

coming from and who processed it, this could create an industry that is not only

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clean and green but also very culturally appropriate. People have always been

interested in past history and supporting their countries native and historical

people.

I believe that this would a wonderful opportunity for Australia’s commercial

kangaroo industry. If Aboriginal people were to work together with commercial

kangaroo harvesting imagine all the benefits. This is something that I was casually

reading over and it instantly caught my interest. I would love to be become involved

in a project like this. This definitely pertains to “my anthropology,” in recent years I

have become very interested in hunting skills and killing an animal for not only their

meat but to utilize every part of the animal. In most cases that I have found ancient

peoples in countries utilize this practice. In the case of Australia’s Aboriginal people

there is no difference. If we could utilize this way of hunting into a commercial

industry the benefits would be enormous.

I would be really interested in actually trying to make this happen. There

needs to be more anthropologists in this field, they could help defuse conflicts and

make the industry realize that this would be very beneficial to the industry. Not only

in more effective meat processing but utilizing the hide and fur. Aboriginal people

have frequently repeated the message that they have wanted to become involved in

kangaroo harvesting management at all levels. They are the people that know the

land, know the environment and species that live off it; they could be of great help to

the industry.

Working together in most cases is not always the easiest route, but I believe

over time this could be a great industry. Slowing intergrading Aboriginal beliefs and

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practices of kangaroo harvesting into commercial harvesting could really benefit

there communities and provide jobs for some of most unemployed people in

Australia. Setting up programs that allow indigenous people to start businesses or

become involved in already established commercial industries could be the first

step. Having Aboriginal people teach the industries proper techniques and cultural

significance could be the next. There are some many levels at which Aboriginal

people could benefit commercial industries I do not see why industries would be

oppose to this idea. Working together maybe tough, but it could benefit both parties

in the long run.

With clean, green, and socially acceptable products that is utilizing not only

the animals’ meat but also the fur and skins, this could be a very appealing product

to the public. It could greatly benefit Aboriginal communities, in health and

education. The next time you sink your teeth into a juicy burger, ask the question

where did this meat come from? How environmentally friend is it? Who processed

this meat and did they do it humanely? All these questions could be answered if you

were sinking your teeth into a tasty fair trade kangaroo burger.

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Works Cited

Buckley, Simon. "Presentation in the Arctic Centre: Kangaroo Burgers and Supporting Indigenous People." Web log post. Arctic Anthropology. Wordpress.com, 11 Feb. 2013. Web. 15 Feb. 2013.

Kelly, J.(2008) kangaroo Industry of Association of Australia.

Saethre, E. (2005). Nutrition, economics and food distribution in an australian aboriginal community. Anthropological Forum, 15(2), 151-169.

Thomsen, D. , & Davies, J. (2005) Social and cultural dimensions of commercial kangaroo harvest in South Australia. Australian Journal of experimental Agriculture, 45, 1239-1243.

Thomsen, D. , & Davies, J. (2007). Rules, norms and strategies of kangaroo harvest. Australasian Journal of Environmental Management, 14(2), 123-133.

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