Christine Townend

The University of Sydney · post graduate

The recent release of the movie Kangaroo: A Love-Hate Story, has sparked controversy and discussion about the shooting of kangaroos, their place on the land, and our relationship with them. Over the last 25 years, new research on kangaroos has been conducted to examine these questions. Representing a collective of scientists, economists, and lawyer...

The commercial killing of kangaroos provides multiple benefits to society, but also causes both deliberate and unintended harms to kangaroos. The ethics of the kangaroo industry is assessed in terms of whether the assumed benefits justify the welfare costs. An analysis of the stated benefits indicates that killing for damage mitigation is beneficia...

Debate on the pros and cons of kangaroo management in Australia has recently centred on the awareness that commercial killing (commonly referred to as harvesting), a by-product of management, is difficult to regulate and that there are animal welfare costs that the current regulatory framework is yet to resolve. Moreover, public interest in animal...

The sheep industry in Australia ranks alongside the bee f and cereal industries in economic importance to the country. But since the introduction of the Vermont Merino sheep in 1883, blowfly ‘strike’ has been an increasing problem costing the industry an estimated A$150 million per year (Box I)1. Blowflies, particularly Lucilia cuprina, are attract...