2024 Commercial exploitation of Kangaroos in Victoria

The latest numbers describe allocations that reverse the Victorian Government’s policy of shifting Authority to Control Wildlife permits (ATCW) permits to commercial permits. While the Victorian Government does not answer the question, we can assume that this is being done to backdoor the commercial killing of Kangaroos into National and State Parks as ‘land managers’ transfer their ATCW permits to commercial. The quantum of this needs to be clarified.

Note: Numbers vary slightly in different government reports.

NOTE: Full year actual commercial take in 2024 was higher than expected given numbers provided previously at 81,160 of which 27,314 were females. An additional 23,488 joeys were beaten to death or decapitated, these young animals are not included in the annual commercial data.

The actual commercial take in 2023 was 72,232.

The commercial quota for the ‘Kangaroo Harvest Program (KHP)’ for 2024, was set at 155,650, however, this figure was reduced by DEECA in June 2024 to 142,350. On 25 September 2024, DEECA further reduced the quota to 111,175 removing all Quarter 4 allocations. The annual quota is released in four batches, at the start of every quarter. Where quota is not fully allocated, it can be carried over into the following quarter.

In Q3 the remaining carried over quota was 21,650 resulting in 0 allocations in Q4, hence remaining year quota was 21,650. The Q4 take was slightly over 23,000. Calendarisation might explain the overrun in Q4 but the questionable matter is the higher take overall than we had expected.

Kangaroo populations in Victoria are significantly overstated by its government, and these overstated population estimates form the basis of the commercial quota and ATCW ‘target’. So where are all these Kangaroos coming from?

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Authority to Control Wildlife permits

We do not know how many are actually killed (outside of National and State Parks that is) and nor does the Victorian Government.

The Victorian Government makes the following claim, despite massive fires and massive floods and industrial scale killing of Eastern and Western Grey Kangaroos. Red Kangaroos are also being targeted (11,146 animals in 2024) on public land and at scale, even though the remaining population in Victoria has been in steep decline because of the scale of the killing.

“The higher than predicted number of Kangaroos approved for control under ATCWs may be a result of landholders experiencing increased impacts from Kangaroos. The reason for this is not conclusive but may be due to favourable environmental conditions in recent years resulting in high reproduction rates in Kangaroos, followed by dry seasonal conditions pushing more Kangaroos on to pasture, crops and on-farm water sources”. Victorian Government

In 2024 DEECA also issued ATCWs for Grey Kangaroos targeting 118,609. ATCW quota share for year was supposed to be 80,700.

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National Parks in Victoria: Killing continues

Hattah-Kulkyne National Park

The Victorian Government states that (it is telling that they got nowhere near their ‘target’):

“During the most recent kangaroo management operations at Hattah-Kulkyne National Park, 733 Western Grey Kangaroos and 197 Red Kangaroos were culled, with current cull targets set at 2,068 Western Grey Kangaroos and 3,846 Red Kangaroos. These actions were conducted by accredited professional contractors in accordance with the Wildlife Act 1975, National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies for Non-Commercial Purposes to ensure humane and ethical treatment of the animals. The estimated densities from the most recent surveys were 3,888 Western Grey Kangaroos and 3,978 Red Kangaroos. Target Abundance representing the ideal ecological balance for regeneration is set at 1,320 Western Grey Kangaroos and 132 Red Kangaroos hence the need for culling to take place”.

The Victorian Government goes on to claim:

“This woodland community has been significantly degraded through past land uses and is critical habitat for several threatened fauna species including the Pink Cockatoo (Major Mitchell Cockatoo), Regent Parrot, and White-browed Treecreeper. Our ongoing conservation efforts are focused on ensuring the regeneration and recovery of this community and its dependent species, and their long-term sustainability”.

Just remember this:

“Around 100 Australian species are on the kill list in Victoria with the government targeting around 1.2 million native animals this year alone through its various policies. Our research shows that Victoria, all states and territories are bad, has had the worst decline in governance standards in the last decade and a significant upturn in the breadth and scale of killing. Kangaroos and birdlife are in the front line of the killing. Climate change and climate related disasters at vast scale have not moderated the killing”. Peter Hylands

It is telling that on  a visit to Hattah-Kulkyne National Park a couple of years ago, a place we know well, the rangers told us that if we wanted to see Kangaroos we should go to the airport. I think that says it all.