Kangaroo has been eaten by the indigenous people of Australia for over 40,000 years, but to most others it is a relatively new practice. Starting in 1950, Australia began opening the trade of kangaroo meat mostly for the use in pet foods. It wasn’t until 1980 that the government of South Australia legalized the sale of kangaroo meat for the use of human consumption.
While seen as a huge part of Australian culture, kangaroo is also a very invasive creature. They regularly do damage to farmland and cause traffic accidents in the more populated areas. Due to the lack of a natural predator, the kangaroo population has grown to a number that needs to be culled. It is not as easy as simply going on a hunting trip, like it is to go out for deer in the United States. In order to hunt a kangaroo, you need to get a very specialized, and costly, license and they are only allowed to be killed with a single headshot.
Because kangaroos are truly wild animals and not farmed at all, they are one of the most sustainable meats you can eat. Since their stomachs have different microorganisms than cows, they produce a lot less methane gas. In fact, kangaroos produce 600x less methane than their cow counterparts. On top of this, they eat less than both cows and sheep, reducing the need for extensive irrigation and chemical fertilizers.
Nutrition
Fun Facts about Kangaroo
- A group of kangaroos is called a mob
- Female kangaroos can pause their pregnancy until their pouch is ready to accept another joey
- Baby kangaroos are the size of a jellybean
- A red kangaroo can hop at 35 mph and up to 25 feet