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Kangaroos are cute, neat critters, earning them the well-deserved status of being Australia’s national symbol. When I saw my first roo, I remember being pretty giddy at the sight of this hopping marsupial. Even though I’ve since seen hundreds of kangaroos, I can’t help but be a bit thrilled when I startle them grazing during my early morning runs. Despite my appreciation for these animals, however, I am a strong supporter of kangaroo harvesting. While that idea might seem a bit brutal for people who see the animals solely as cute hoppers, they present a terrific alternative to Australia’s cattle and sheep industries.

Unfortunately for kangaroos, but fortunately for humans, they produce virtually no methane. Despite having a diet similar to ruminants, the kangaroo is able to digest its food without releasing methane, a gas with an effect that is 23 times greater than carbon dioxide. Currently, 11% of Australia’s carbon footprint is the result of the sheep and cattle industry. If the country were to switch from beef to roo burgers, however, fewer greenhouse gases would be produced Down Under.

This growing meat industry is also more environmentally friendly than farming cattle and sheep because kangaroos require less feed, are well adapted to drought and do not destroy the root systems of native plants. Of grazing pressures on Australia’s land, at least 63% is the result of the cattle and dairy industry and 28% is the result of the sheep industry. By contrast, kangaroos account for between 1% and 8% of the grazing pressure. In the driest, most fragile inhabited continent on Earth, this grazing pressure has a profound effect on the biodiversity and general health of the ecosystem.

In addition to being more environmentally friendly, kangaroo meat is also low in fat (2%) and high in protein. It is also low in cholesterol and high in conjugated linoleic acid (CJA), which reduces blood pressure. The meat is also pretty tender and tasty, especially good as a ground beef substitute.

While I am eating very little meat these days, I have had the opportunity to cook and eat kangaroo and have enjoyed it. The taste is something between venison and bison. Personally, I can’t understand why Australians don’t eat more kangaroo. In the country with the highest per capita greenhouse gases in the world, replacing beef and lamb with kangaroo could serve as a symbol to jump start Australia’s campaign to reduce emissions.

Learn more at…
BBC: Australians urged to eat kangaroo
BBC: Eat Kangaroo to ‘Save the Planet’
SMH: An industry that’s under the gun
Australian Kangaroo Industry Association
Per capital Green House Gas Emissions