Kangaroo Newsletter, Kangamail 30/7/07

Kangaroo-skin soccer shoes are beloved by some players who say their leather is light, thin and supple, stretching and molding around the feet, helping to provide that elusive skill known as "touch." But a decision Monday by the California Supreme Court could end up blasting the boots off store shelves in the soccer-loving state. The justices unanimously rejected an argument by sportswear giant Adidas that federal law pre-empts a California ban on products made from the Australian marsupials. The ruling could have a major impact on soccer retailers and players. Kangaroo hide is used by many companies in a variety of higher-priced shoes, including Adidas' famous Copa Mundial and Predator cleats.

If they become unavailable, "there's going to be a black market on kangaroo leather cleats," said Kevin Connelly, an 18-year-old player from Pacifica who owns a pair of Predators. The Copa Mundial shoe has been the top seller among adult customers at Sunset Soccer in San Francisco since its introduction 25 years ago, owner Toby Rappolt said. It has always been pricey, and on Monday the store was offering it for $109.99. In reversing an appeals court, the state's high court ruled in favor of a British animal-rights group with an office in Davis called Viva International Voice for Animals. The group challenged Adidas and retailers Sport Chalet and Offside Soccer in 2003, arguing that the California ban was valid because states have the power to enact stronger protections for wildlife than the federal government.

State Attorney General Jerry Brown hailed the decision as an affirmation of the state's independence and said it may lead to enforcement of the state law. "In general," Brown said in an interview, "the local district attorneys can prosecute and the attorney general can as well." Referring to the popularity of kangaroo leather shoes, which primarily compete with calfskin and models made of synthetic material, Brown said, "A lot of people like ivory, too." The animal rights group, which is seeking a court injunction prohibiting Adidas from selling kangaroo skin in California, argues that kangaroos are slaughtered cruelly and that hunters have trouble differentiating between species that are endangered and those that are not.

Andrea Corso, a spokeswoman for Adidas, which is based in Germany and has its U.S. headquarters in Portland, Ore., said 10 distinct styles of kangaroo leather shoes make up 1 percent of the company's footwear sold nationally. She said the company makes no shoes from threatened or endangered kangaroos. "Nor do we accept the use of leathers in our products which have involved the inhumane treatment of animals," she said. Kevin North, the manager of Sunset Soccer, said, "Have you ever been to Australia? Kangaroos are like rabbits in Australia." If authorities started enforcing the ban on importing and selling kangaroo products, online sales would be affected as well, lawyers said. But nothing would stop players from buying shoes in another state.

Despite Monday's ruling, the case is far from over. The state Supreme Court sent it back to the Court of Appeal in San Francisco, where Adidas plans to argue two points: that the animal rights group does not have standing to sue because it is not an injured party, and that the California law is an improper attempt to regulate foreign commerce. Also, the state Senate voted in May to legalize the import and sale of kangaroo skins unless a particular species is considered endangered. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Ron Calderon, D-Montebello (Los Angeles County), is now in the Assembly. The debate has been closely watched elsewhere. Alexi Lalas, a former national team player who is president of the Los Angeles Galaxy professional soccer team, has said California's ban could harm his squad.

But the Galaxy's new star and global marketing sensation, Englishman David Beckham, switched from a kangaroo boot to a synthetic one last year after being targeted in a long campaign by animal rights activists. The state prohibited the import and commercial sale of kangaroo products in 1971, a year after banning products made from 23 other animals, including polar bears, zebras, whales, dolphins and elephants. The lawsuit prompted a San Francisco Superior Court judge and the appeals court to conclude that the law conflicted with a federal policy that resumed imports of some kangaroo-skin products as a reward to Australia for its implementation of a program managing its kangaroo population.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service banned imports of products made from three kangaroo species in 1974 -- the red, eastern grey and western grey kangaroos -- after their population had dwindled in Australia. The agency allowed those imports to resume in 1981 and in 1995 said the three kangaroo species -- the ones used by Adidas -- were no longer threatened. The case is Viva International vs. Adidas, S140064.

To read the state Supreme Court's ruling, go to: links.sfgate.com/ZLV

The arrival of soccer star David Beckham to California has already got merchandisers looking to make a profit from his fans. Adidas had planned to sell the same shoes that Beckham wears during games to the public. However, the California Supreme Court has banned the sale of these cleats because they are made from kangaroo leather. Animal rights activists support this ruling which overturned two lower court decisions that the California kangaroo ban interferes with federal support of Australia’s wildlife management plans.

The Australian government sides with Adidas who say that about 25 million kangaroos populate the continent and hunting them is the best way to keep the population down. However, animal activists say that in hunting kangaroos, hunters sometimes mistakenly shoot endangered species. Also they believe that kangaroos are killed in cruel ways including hunting parties and being clubbed to death as babies. In 1971, California banned the sale of products made from kangaroos and animals who were in danger of extinction. In 1974, the federal Fish and Wildlife agency determined that three kangaroos species could be considered threatened. In response to this, they banned the import of goods made with marsupial skins.

In 1995, the kangaroo populations in Australia were said to have recovered and kangaroo leather was once again made legal for importation into the United States. Adidas uses this particular type of leather because they are said to make lighter and more airy shoes to play soccer in. Beckham himself has worn the shoes for years but has since stated that his shoes were now made of synthetic leather instead of kangaroo hide. *Blogger.com

Although a U.S. restaurant offering a dish with the national bird, the bald eagle, would seem unthinkable, in Australia the formerly endangered kangaroo is commonly found as barbecued kebabs or stir fried with vegetables. So when the California Supreme Court effectively banned the sale of kangaroo leather soccer shoes in deciding a lawsuit this week, many Australians here asked why. "Kangaroos are like rabbits in Australia," said Kalee StClair, who is from Sydney and has lived here for more than four years. "They're not protected at all, and it's actually encouraged to kill them. I guess they are really cute. And California is a sucker for a cute animal. Look at how people dress their dogs here."

Leigh Broadbent, an Australian producer who lives here, said he supported animal rights groups, but not protecting kangaroos. They have an annual cull of kangaroos, or maybe biannual, to keep the numbers down to protect the ecosystem," Broadbent said. "Why not? What's the big issue in California?" Animal rights activists say threatened species are killed during culls along with overpopulated species. Jason Bottrell, an Australian entrepreneur based in Long Beach, said he grew up playing soccer in kangaroo-skin shoes. "Without the cull," Bottrell said, "the kangaroos would starve to death."

Kangaroo-skin shoes are preferred by soccer players hoping to bend it like Beckham, although David Beckham switched to a synthetic alternative last year under pressure from animal rights groups. The shoes, including the Adidas Predator, are generally more expensive at $200 a pair than ordinary soccer shoes, and athletes say the shoes add mobility and comfort. Kangaroo skin was banned in California in 1971 to protect the animals. As the kangaroo is no longer endangered, Adidas said the ban conflicted with U.S. policies intended to help Australia manage its kangaroo population. A spokeswoman for the company, Andrea Corso, said it did not consider the ruling as an order to stop selling the shoes in California. She said the company would continue selling the shoes until all the questions in the suit had been settled.

Viva, the animal rights group that sued Adidas, says millions of kangaroos are killed every year in "what is widely regarded as the largest wildlife massacre on the planet." A lawyer for Viva, Orly Degani, said she planned to seek an injunction to force Adidas to stop selling the shoes. The Australian consul general here, Innes Willox, said he had been working in Sacramento to have a law passed to allow kangaroo products. "At any time the kangaroo population is between 15 million and 50 million, and that's largely contingent on climatic conditions," Willox said. "Drought at the moment is having a major impact on the population. "They are half of our national symbol. So we are not about to do anything to endanger them. We recognize our responsibility." The other half of the symbol is the emu, which like the kangaroo is known for not being able to walk backward, Willox said.

Ed Comment: There have been dozens of stories about this issue on the Internet, many of them nonsense, some quoting Australian government kangaroo population figures for 2003, or 2005. Of course, population figures for 2007 are quite different. One journalist reported Adidas has spent nearly $500,000 US dollars so far to overturn the ban. I believe that the publicity over this legal decision will have an enourmous negative impact on kangaroo meat and leather sales worldwide, as more people realise there are cruelty issues that need to be addressed, and the cruelty issues just cant be addressed in any meaningful way. Viva!US, Lauren Ornelias, and the other US groups involved, have worked very hard on this issue, and on behalf of all the groups in the Kangaroo Protection Coalition, I do convey our very grateful thanks.

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The WA. Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) says a fence to contain dieback in the Fitzgerald River National Park in southern Western Australia is the start of a new approach to the dieback problem. The 12 kilometre long fence took 17 men almost a month to complete and rings a 400 hectare area of the park which is dieback infected. Malcom Grant from DEC says the fence will keep kangaroos, which can spread the disease, out of the infected area.

He says the department is still learning how to deal with dieback and will take away valuable lessons from building the fence. "So we don't have a book on the shelf at this point in time that we can go to and draw upon as a guideline as to how we might approach the containment of the infestation, so it really is cutting edge and very much an operational-cum-research project all wrapped up in one," he said. *ABC

Ed Comment; Poor old kangaroos get the blame again! One has to wonder how the fence will keep the birds out....perhaps they think birds dont transmit dieback!

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Qantas is set to unveil a new logo on Tuesday, but any suggestion the 'Flying Kangaroo' image will be scratched are off the mark, the airline says. "I can assure people Qantas will not be removing the kangaroo from its logo," executive general manager John Borghetti said. But the kangaroo logo, glimpsed when a Qantas jet flew into Sydney late on Sunday night, has been redesigned and shows some clear differences to the existing tail design, in use for more than 20 years. The kangaroo was adapted from the Australian one penny coin and first used by Qantas in 1944. It was later redesigned by Sydney designer Gert Sellheim to feature wings in 1947, before taking on its current appearance in 1984. On Tuesday the airline will also unveil the new cabin interiors for its fleet of double-decker Airbus A-380s, which will begin flying mid-next year. The airline will also show off the designs of its new international premium economy class seats. It's understood the fresh livery will also be on display, although any changes are expected to be modest.* AAP Maybe they are worried about being associated with a potentially threatened species?!!

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Three kangaroos have been beaten to death and mutilated in a national park on the NSW south coast and a joey was left fighting for its life. The animals were found dead on Sunday within 100m of each other, near the boat ramp at South Durras, in the Murramarang National Park north of Batemans Bay. One kangaroo had been decapitated, one had been beaten to death and one had its eyes gouged out and had been left with a joey still alive in its pouch. Police and the National Parks and Wildlife Service are appealing for the public's help in tracking down the culprits. NPWS southern region director Alistair Henchman said kangaroos at the popular tourist spot had lost their fear of humans, which made them vulnerable. ``I have never come across anything as bad as this in my many years with the NPWS,'' he said. The five-month-old joey, which weighs 900g, is struggling for survival in the hands of a wildlife carer. *ABC

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A kangaroo has been found strangled to death in an illegal wire trap on the New South Wales far south coast. The kangaroo was discovered by a local resident in a snare in the Towamba Valley west of Eden. The National Parks and Wildlife Service says it is deeply concerned by the incident. NPWS Ranger Rachel Butterworth said using a snare to kill kangaroos was cruel and highly illegal. "Landholders who are experiencing difficulties because of an overabundance of kangaroos can contact us and seek a licence to cull a certain number," she said. "But culling can only legally be conducted by shooting. Snares are not legal and are a particularly cruel way to kill an animal because death is slow." "(This) animal had obviously suffered enormously as it was found with deep lacerations around the neck." Ms Butterworth said the NPWS would be contacting local landholders in an effort to track down who might have been responsible for setting the snare. "There are severe penalties for those people who are caught harming native wildlife - and we do catch people," she said. "Only recently four people were charged in relation to the killing of kangaroos on the south coast following a tip-off from the public." "People caught using snares can also be prosecuted for animal cruelty by the RSPCA." *IBM News

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Violent thunderstorms have caused the deaths of seven distressed kangaroos at a Mexican zoo, say veterinarians who are now pampering the remaining three mothers and their babies. The zoo in the western city of Guadalajara brought the kangaroos from Texas in April and all went smoothly until last month, when the rainy season began. Seven kangaroos died over a period of four weeks, most soon after harsh rain storms. "They became apathetic in the morning, then sad in the afternoon, and by night they could be dead," veterinarian Andrea Saucedo told Reuters. "We would just be trying to understand what was happening, when -- oops -- another." The kangaroos, shy by nature, have ample food, shelter and outdoor space to hop at the zoo. The animals likely were suffering stress from their recent move but the foul weather, including drastic daily swings in temperature, probably pushed some over the edge, the zoo believes. "The storms weren't continuous," Saucedo said. "They were the only thing that was coinciding with the deaths." Heavy rain soaks most of Mexico every June to September, causing floods and mudslides in many regions.

The red kangaroo species at the Guadalajara zoo comes from central Australia. The three surviving adult kangaroos gave birth just before arriving at the zoo. The babies, called joeys, have just begun to poke their heads from their mothers' pouches, said zoo spokeswoman Danae Vazquez. Vets in Australia were reluctant to speculate about the cause of the deaths without seeing the kangaroos and their environments first-hand. Richard O'Neill, a guide in north-western Australia, said the change in weather could have spooked them. "Any animal, when you change his environment, will feel stress and that stress can be transmitted throughout the group," he said today. Zoo workers are giving the remaining kangaroos added attention and vitamins and asking visitors to be extra quiet. No kangaroos have died in the past three weeks and zookeepers are optimistic the survivors have adapted to their new home. *Reuters SMH

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Maria Island is closed to visitors for the next 12 days so the island's three main marsupial species can be culled. The annual cull reduces the number of Forester Kangaroo, Bennett's Wallaby and Tasmanian Paddymelon. David Whitelaw from Parks and Wildlife Service says it's part of managing the island's eco-system. He says the process is humane, and aims to ensure the species' ongoing survival. "There are two primary aims with the program itself, one is for the welfare of the animals themselves in terms of maintaining a sustainable population on the island, and also for the native flora itself," he said. Maria Island re-opens to visitors on July the 28th. *ABC

Ed. Comment; The shooting is done by “sporting” shooters who work for the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service. The kangaroos were taken to Maria Island many years ago, and their population keeps growing. However instead of investigating and implementing humane contraception options, Maria Island is now a Private shooting Reserve for the staff of TPWS and some of the politicians of Tasmania. Even a past Premier of Tasmania used to go shooting kangaroos there. Obviously we need to do something about this before the next shootout.

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Australias worst drought in a hundred years is driving its kangaroos into cities in search of food and water, experts say. In Canberra, referred to as the Bush Capital for its pockets of parklands scattered throughout the city, residents encounter the common sight of eastern gray kangaroos on the streets. After several years of dry conditions, vegetation has been grazed down to nothing—leading to the unusual spectacle of kangaroos hopping around the lush grounds of the lakeside home of Australia's Governor General, Sir Michael Jeffery.

Canberra's urban kangaroo sightings have been complemented by reports of greater numbers of kangaroos in other cities and towns in the southeast of Australia, apparently driven there in search of food. Brendan Mackey, director of of the Australian National University's WildCountry research unit, says it is "quite logical" to see more kangaroos moving into urban areas seeking sustenance. "The kangaroo's biology is geared to take advantage of the good times," Mackey said. "So when times are good they reproduce and are very fecund. When the signals turn negative they stop." Droughts cause a competition for scarce resources, so when times start to get tough, kangaroos compete with sheep and cattle for food and water, Mackey said.

The outskirts of Canberra and other major cities such as Sydney and Melbourne still have relatively plentiful resources—without the other competitors that are usually found in the bush. "Because Australia naturally has a boom and bust environment, you have large droughts and flooding rains. From year to year rainfall is quite unreliable. In order for an animal to live in this environment they have to have a strategy to survive," Mackey said. On the edges of Canberra, kangaroos have posed such a problem at two Australian Department of Defense training sites that the department wants to do a planned hunt of the animals.

"Kangaroos are impacting endangered ecological communities, which include several threatened species, and there are strong indications that many kangaroos will soon starve unless numbers there are reduced,'' said Russell Watkinson, the director of Australia's Parks, Conservation and Lands. The kangaroos' search for food led them to land used for training defense personnel. That land is also home to two threatened species of lizards. The lizards are going hungry because of lack of food, and reduced vegetation makes them easy pickings for predators. "There is strong evidence that some of these threatened species have declined where there has been excessive grazing, [though] they have remained healthy in comparable areas where grazing pressure is controlled," Watkinson said.

It's not just kangaroos that move in search of sustenance. Native birds have also been observed to travel large distances for better foraging, Mackey said, said the unknown factor is how they know when and where to go. No one knows when the drought will break, but Mackey said kangaroos will be ready to adapt to any changed conditions, whether good or bad. *National Geographic News

Ed Comment; We would have expected a much better quality story from National Geographic. Obviously NG are not interested in the reasons why the community and the wildlife gropus was so opposed to a ki.ll.

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A bush mailman who covers the back blocks out of Broken Hill says this year's good rains have led to a marked increase in wildlife. Trevor Mitchell says wedgetail eagles are building new nests for the first time in years, emus have been spotted with more than 20 chicks and even the rabbits are making a comeback. But he says the good times have brought him a bit of trouble, in the form of a recent run in with a well fed, big black kangaroo. "I was watching some sheep on my right and I looked back to the left and the next minute he was right in front of me, caused $6,500 worth of damage to my vehicle," he said. "It was a lump of a kangaroo and what really ticked me off the most was I went back to drag him off the road and he stood up, shook himself and took off and he's standing on top of a hill virtually laughing at me. "I wasn't very impressed." *Network Item

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