In 2025, 609,842 Kangaroos were exploited for commercial gain in Queensland against a full year quota of 2,941,550. No special quotas were utilised in 2025. The Queensland Government’s population estimate for the year was 19,948,748.

The three species and number killed were:

• Eastern Grey Kangaroo – 286,939 against a quota of 1,333,000, 21 per cent of quota;
• Red Kangaroo – 265,271 against a quota of 1,377,500, 19 per cent of quota; and
• Wallaroo – 57,632 against a quota of 231,050, 20 per cent of quota.

The death of joeys is not included and unaccounted for. Interestingly the Queensland data for 2025 shows that just 10 per cent of the commercial kill was female, which if correct, would mean that a further 56,000 joeys died by blunt force trauma or decapitation and a result of the commercial exploitation.

The Queensland Government state that:

“For Eastern Grey Kangaroos, the greatest female proportional take was 18.0 per cent in Zone 5 and the average across all zones was 10.8 per cent. For Red Kangaroos, the average was slightly higher than for Eastern Grey Kangaroos at 11.6 per cent, and the greatest proportional female take was 19.2 per cent, also in Zone 5. The female proportional take of Wallaroos was reported as very low, at 0.1 per cent across all zones”.

The highest kills were recorded from the Maranoa and Longreach regions, which accounted for just over a quarter of the commercial kill.

During 2025 Queensland had 935 licenced Kangaroo shooters and 89 licenced dealers, the latter made up of 78 chiller box operators, 9 meat processors and 2 tanneries.

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Non-commercial kill: Damage mitigation permits in 2025

An additional number of Kangaroos were killed to remove them from places in which DMP holders claimed that the animals were damaging something.

• For the Eastern Grey Kangaroo, DMPs were issued to kill 213,448 animals, of which 28,210 were reported as being killed, 13 per cent of the quota for 2025  (excluding joeys who are unaccounted for);
• For the Red Kangaroo, DMPs were issued to kill 149,342 animals, of which 11,230 were reported as being killed, 7.5 per cent of the quota for 2025  (excluding joeys who are unaccounted for); and
• For the Wallaroo, DMPs were issued to kill 36,185 animals, of which 4,655 were reported as being killed, 13 per cent of the quota for 2025  (excluding joeys who are unaccounted for).

In Queensland, DMPs are used extensively to kill other protected Australian species, bird species are in the front line of the killing, particularly so Parrot species, Corellas, Cockatoos, Lorikeets, Magpies are also on the list as are waterbirds. The idea that although waterbirds in Queensland are now safe following the banning of ‘recreational’ shooting, we should understand they are still being killed via DMPs. Mammals, including once again, following a pause, the very much in trouble Flying-fox, Micro-bats and Possums also join the list. Reptiles are also targeted using DMPs, including snake and lizard species.

In the neighbouring Northern Territory, similarly remote, where mitigation permits are called Permits to take or interfere with wildlife, target birdlife at scale, a recent example includes that NT Parks and Wildlife issued permits to Newcastle Waters cattle station allowing the culling of up to 20,000 Parrots (15,000 Galahs and 5,000 Little Corellas) using firearms or poison. Mammal and reptile species are also targeted by Permits to take or interfere with wildlife. While snake species require a permit to kill them, they can be killed without a permit if they present an immediate threat, no one of course checks. Dingoes are unprotected.

Summary

This means that, in all, the Queensland Government had authorised the killing of 3,340,525 Kangaroos for the three species, the Eastern Grey Kangaroo, the Red Kangaroo and the Wallaroo. For the three species, 653,937 animals (excluding their joeys who also died) were actually killed, that is 19.5 per cent of the intended kill.

The problem here, given that population estimates of all three species are far too high and quotas are missed by a very long way, there is effectively no upper limit to the kill, with 2,686,588 animals still available to be killed in 2025.

Our view remains that the likely Queensland population of the three species in the shooting zones in Queensland, which exclude National Parks, is likely to be 5 million and NOT the near 20 million as claimed. If that is the case, 13 per cent of the population was killed in 2025.

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