Kangaroo population estimates, commercial quotas and actual kill Australia mainland 1980-2026
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“The brutality that occurs in the dead of night is not lost on the world, it is the scale of the killing that is so staggering. How can humanity treat nature in this way? We have never been able to answer this question.”
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.
Notes on table
- Population estimates in each state typically conducted in the previous year to quota, therefore we have aligned population estimates, on which the quota is based, with the year of quota.
- Data does not include joeys until end total.
- Commercial exploitation in Victoria in the years 2014-2019 (Kangaroo Pet Food Trial KPFT) is not included in this table and will be reported separately. These figures were not included in any Commonwealth Government data.
- Commercial exploitation of Kangaroos and Wallabies in Tasmania is not included as no standard reporting occurs despite frequent requests to various Commonwealth Environment Ministers that this aligns with Australia’s regulatory framework. As is stands, Tasmania, is essentially lawless.
- This table represents a ground up rework of all the data, most of which is as reported to the Commonwealth Government and includes population data removed from the public gaze in the period 1981-1999. It should be noted that these numbers sometimes differ slightly to those reported in state based reports on which much of our work is based. Even the Commonwealth population data for states does not always add correctly to reported Australia total (reported numbers have been used in this table and not corrected – differences are mostly small).
- Joeys are not included in the data, to give an idea of the scale of death of these young animals, in 2026, based on our forecast of actual take, 400,000 joeys in Australia will die a cruel and painful death in the name of commercial exploitation. The number of joeys killed for commercial gain in extremely cruel circumstances since 1980 is a staggering 55.5 million.
- For the years 1980-2026 the actual kill when compared to the available quota was 48 per cent, for the years 2013-2026 this had fallen to 23.7 per cent, describing dwindling populations and significantly exaggerated population estimates.
- Adding to these horrors, for the years 1980-2026, a broader range of Macropod species have been targeted through harms permits, so we can add another 55 million adult Kangaroos and Wallabies and the 14 million of their young to the actual kill numbers.
- All up that is 341,623,359 protected native animals that have died since 1980. Shocking indeed. It is not surprising that so many Australian landscapes are now empty.
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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 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 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 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.
Heartbreak House: Kangaroos killed by ACT Government in 2025 (actual)
16 reserves were closed and 2,978 Kangaroos were killed. Ratio of females to males killed in 2025 is significantly higher than in previous years. In total 32,413 Kangaroos, including joeys, have been killed in the ACT's 'nature' parks since 2015.