Roos Millions die,

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English TOLD: AUSTRALIA KILLS KANGAROOSAn English animal welfare group is urging tourists to think twice about visiting Australia because it allows the "massacre" of a national icon - the kangaroo.VIVA (Vegetarians International Voice for Animals) says drought is already impacting on kangaroo numbers and it has asked the Australian government to curb killings for commercial purposes.VIVA claimed that in three years the population of the eastern grey kangaroo had dropped by 63 per cent, red kangaroos by 55 per cent and wallaroos by 54 per cent.It said there were now 28 million fewer kangaroos in commercial hunting areas than there was three years ago.The group called for a review of this year's commercial kill target of 3.9 million kangaroos.British holidaymakers were urged to reconsider taking holidays in Australia."The Australian government and tourism industries cynically use the image of a kangaroo to attract international visitors, whilst butchering millions of them every year out of the view of tourists," VIVA's Justin Kerswell said."Not only is this dishonest, it's the ultimate betrayal of this much loved icon."International visitors are being hoodwinked into believing that the Australian government values the kangaroo, little knowing that the only value they place on them is the blood money their meat and skins bring."We are calling on people thinking of travelling to Australia to consider whether they really want to visit a country that harbours the largest massacre of land animals in the world today."VIVA says its campaigns against kangaroo meat has led to 1,500 supermarkets across Britain no longer stocking the product."We have essentially killed off the kangaroo meat industry in the UK," Kerswell said.VIVA said the commercial industry's targeting of the largest kangaroos, particularly the males, led to the younger males mating at a very early age."That means you have a weakening of the gene pool and that runs the risk of extinction," Kerswell said.The group is also waging a campaign against sporting goods manufacturer adidas for its use of kangaroos skins to make football boots, saying the company should "drag itself into the 21st century".http://au.news./050811/2/vh1u.html