Australian animal rights groups are getting hot under the collar over proposed new government guidelines that recommend the killing of young kangaroos by picking them up and bashing their heads on the tow-bars of ‘utes’ (pick up trucks). The proposed code also suggests a close range shotgun blast may be appropriate (Reuters).

“I think we all love kangaroos. The problem is that there are too many,” a government spokesperson told Reuters. “What we are talking about here is responsible environmental management, because if we don’t do something you won’t have pastures and viable farming.”

After the mothers have been shot, young kangaroos – or joeys – also have to be put down. Previous guidelines made no suggestions as to how this should be done for those that had left their mothers’ pouches but are still dependent on them (Canberra Times). The existing guidelines are here.

Even the recommended ways of putting them down can seem horrific (especially to city-bound media types whose main interaction with wildlife is in the supermarket meat isle). There’s very rarely a “nice” way of killing any animal. Maybe it’s no bad thing that we’re occasionally forced to confront this fact.

Image: Corbis