Kangaroos Are Not Food
It's time to end America's role in the commercial slaughter of Australia's iconic wildlife. We helped persuade the world's largest athletic footwear companies to stop using kangaroo leather. Now we're working to end U.S. participation in the kangaroo meat trade and pass the Kangaroo Protection Act.
Millions Killed. Consumers Put at Risk.
Every year, commercial shooters kill approximately 1.3 million to 1.5 million wild adult kangaroos in Australia, with an estimated half-million dependent joeys also killed or left to die. Joeys are killed by blunt force trauma or decapitation, while orphaned joeys who escape face starvation, exposure, and predation after their mothers are shot. The adults are shot at night, field-dressed in remote locations, and sold into international markets for meat and leather.
Our new investigative report, Australia’s Global Bushmeat Trade, exposes an industry plagued by cruelty, food-safety failures, and inadequate oversight.
Government records reveal that in 2025, kangaroo meat from an export-approved processor registered bacterial contamination at more than 10 times the European Union’s unacceptable threshold. Meat that failed safety testing was nevertheless released to overseas markets.
The report also documents risks associated with Salmonella, E. coli, parasites, and lead ammunition fragments. These findings raise serious questions about kangaroo meat sold in restaurants and pet food, including in the United States.
The Solution
Pass the Kangaroo Protection Act
The Kangaroo Protection Act, H.R. 1992 and S. 2162, would prohibit commercial imports and interstate commercial trade in covered kangaroos and products made from them, including meat and skins.
The bipartisan legislation would help remove the United States as a market for products derived from Australia’s commercial kangaroo slaughter.
Animal Wellness Action is mobilizing citizens and lawmakers to advance this legislation and urging federal regulators to address the food-safety risks associated with kangaroo meat.
Building on Our Success
From Kangaroos Are Not Shoes to Kangaroos Are Not Food
Our Kangaroos Are Not Shoes campaign helped convince Nike, Adidas, Puma, ASICS, New Balance, and other leading athletic footwear companies to abandon kangaroo leather.
Kangaroo skin prices have since collapsed by approximately 98%, severely weakening the economics of the trade.
Now we’re taking the next step: working to close the American market to commercial kangaroo products through federal legislation.