There are several areas in this article by Richard Swinton from Clunes which need correction. The first thing Australians should understand is that kangaroos are far from pests, they are NOT slaughtered for this reason. They are killed for their skins to make one of the finest leathers. Newspaper advertisments going back to 1806 can be found advertising kangaroo skins for leather. 1) overseas people are probably more aware of the situation and the plight of kangaroos than the majority of Australians are. 2) Kangaroos in many areas of Australia are now extinct due to the commercial kangaroo industry. Over the last 40 years or so the shooters have continually taken the biggest and the best. What now remains are small males, no Alpha males to protect the females and the genetics have suffered badly. Family groups have been broken up and generally confusion reigns amongst the remaining kangaroos.