Plant Sciences Commons^™

The Impact Of Red Kangaroos On The Rangelands, Grant Norbury, Dale Norbury

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Kangaroos and other native animals should be maintained across their natural range, including areas set aside for pastoral use. But the added grazing pressure on native vegetation from sheep, cattle and feral animals, together with unnaturally high numbers of kangaroos, has seriously degraded much of our rangelands. Cattle and sheep numbers are relatively easy to control. The same cannot be said for kangaroos. Access to widespread man-made watering points has allowed kangaroos to continue breeding when normally a shortage of water would suppress reproduction.

Pastoralists complain that commercial kangaroo shooting is not always effective in preventing damage caused by kangaroos. …