Commercial exploitation of Kangaroos in Australia by mainland Australian state: 2020-2026
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“Numbers matter because of what they clearly describe and that is the extermination of Kangaroos region by region across Australia’s landscapes, enabled so callously by hyper-inflated population estimates from state governments.”
CONTEXT: As the actual number of Kangaroos killed for commercial gain continues to decline, state governments, in an attempt to keep this grim and cruel exploitation of protected species viable, have expanded shooting zones, added additional species to the commercial list, allowed shooting for commercial gain on public lands, including national parks, are shooting more and more females (and killing their joeys), subsidising the killing with bounties and other financial measures, are simplifying the paperwork required and turning a blind eye to extreme cruelty, unhygienic behaviours that fly in the face of food standards and grotesque human rights abuses. While all the time misleading the public about booming populations of Kangaroos, while claiming reproduction rates that are absurd and IMPOSSIBLE, while claiming the slaughter is humane, it is vicariously cruel, and all the while being a very long way from being transparent in their dealings, despite their claims to the contrary. All of this is a grotesque failure of public administration.
Actual take for 2026 is the Nature Knowledge Channel’s forecast. Other numbers in red are estimates at the time of writing. For 2025 at time of writing, some states had not reported actual take for that year.
Percentage of actual take increases mainly because the quota is lower in a given year. For example, the 2021 quota for all Australia was 1,524,085 lower than the quota in 2020. What was particularly shocking was that for the quota alone, the reduction in the quota between those years was higher than the actual annual take in each year.
States and Territories
- Shockingly, by late April 2026, Western Australia, and as shooting continued, had still not reported its commercial quota allocations for 2026, currently the figure given in the table is our estimate. Western Australia will provide its population estimates and quotas following their KMAC meeting, for which, as at time of writing, no date has been set.
- (Excluding Western Australia) The Queensland population estimates in 2026 accounts for 54.7 per cent of the Australian mainland population estimate. The Queensland commercial quota in 2026 accounts for 57 per cent of the Australian mainland quota. The questionable Queensland estimates play a significant role (they do this every year) in distorting Kangaroo estimates and resulting quotas.
- In 2026, Victoria is the only state to report an overall population increase over the previous year. Total nonsense of course. Victoria trialled the commercial exploitation of Kangaroos and Wallabies in the early 1980s but this was discontinued as it was considered at the time not to be viable.
- Tasmania is not required to report its commercial exploitation of Kangaroos and Wallabies in the same way that all other states do and hence is not included in the Australian Governments reporting on the commercial exploitation of Kangaroos. There should be no exception to the rules.
- The ACT and Northern Territory do not have a commercial wildlife trade in Kangaroo species.
- The 2026 population estimate on which the 2026 quota is derived and calculated, are from surveys conducted in 2025. Thus the 2025 population estimate that informed that year’s quota was calculated from surveys in 2024.
- The number of species and species being exploited commercially differ across the states. South Australia commercially exploits the most species, while Western Australia and Victoria exploit the least number of species, in the case of Western Australia that is the Red Kangaroo and the Western Grey Kangaroo and in Victoria it is the Eastern Grey Kangaroo and the Western Grey Kangaroo. The numbers given above are the totals for all species in the given state.
South Australia
South Australia is worth a special mention, because of all mainland Australian states, it has the greatest sustained loss of its Macropod populations. with serial declines, year on year, for the last 30 years, due to over exploitation. Despite the claims of booming populations, a trip around South Australia tells a very different story.
Kangaroo Island Tammar Wallaby: While the species is listed on the commercial list in South Australia its population estimate appears significantly overstated at 87 animals per square kilometer across the entire island and the actual number exploited for commercial gain in 2025 (from the latest data we have) is zero. This adds to the already inflated population estimates in the state and adds to the misconception that the total commercial take of all species in South Australia, as a percentage of population is low, and hence is sustainable.
The South Australian Government's Kangaroo bounties introduced in 2025 will intensify harm to remaining Kangaroo populations in the state. The latest addition to the bounties towards year end being, and I quota the government here:
“A total of $350,000 is available for this initiative to provide incentives for primary producers, to remove starving Kangaroos. These incentives are the subject of these guidelines…. under this incentive, PIRSA is paying primary producers”.
This and more regulation to remove Kangaroo populations from the state, including public land, all going on at pace while the Inquiry into Kangaroo and Wallaby Populations in South Australia was underway. The inquiry has not been completed, and remains so, following the state’s March election.
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Related
2026: Commercial exploitation of Kangaroos in New South Wales
The population estimate for Kangaroos in New South Wales has fallen to 9,586,809 from 13,910,688, resulting in a decline in commercial quota for 2026 of 733,927 Kangaroos.
2026: Commercial exploitation of Kangaroos in Queensland
The Queensland Government’s population estimate for the 3 commercially exploited species in Queensland's 5 commercial shooting zones is 19,308,148 giving a commercial quota in 2026 of 2,850,900 with a DMP quota of 386,164.
2026: Commercial exploitation of Kangaroos in South Australia
Our experience of South Australian landscapes is one of total absence. The myths of booming populations and mass starvation, are precisely that, myths. The population estimates for 2026 show a 31 per cent decline in the population of Red Kangaroos.
2026: Commercial exploitation of Kangaroos in Victoria
An increase in the population estimate for Grey Kangaroos in Victoria, leading to a 2026 quota of 207,800, a decrease of the commercial quota when compared to 2025 of 22,150 (the commercial component now being 95,450).
2026: Commercial exploitation of Kangaroos in Western Australia
While we wait for the 2026 population estimates and commercial quotas (from 2025 surveys) here is the history of exploitation of Kangaroos in Western Australia.
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