1. Allison Holmes
Anth 410
Scoggin
3/8/13
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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.