Do Australians really eat kangaroo

Answer 1

Not all Australians can quite bring themselves to eat kangaroo. Some Australians do eat kangaroo meat, but many think about an innocent kangaroo bounding free, and they can't bring themselves to eat something like that.

Nonetheless, the benefits are:

• kangaroo meat is very lean, being low in cholesterol and with less than 2% fat
• kangaroo meat is high in protein and minerals, especially iron and zinc
• studies indicate that people who eat kangaroo meat in place of "normal" red meat have lower risk of damage to their cardiovascular system
• kangaroos are plentiful on the Australian continent, so the decision has been made that they might as well be farmed commercially
• it is commercially viable: the European market for kangaroo meat increased by 30 percent following the 2001 outbreak of foot and mouth disease on that continent - so it is not just Australian who eat kangaroo.

Another health benefit:

Australia's chief Scientific body, the CSIRO, has determined that kangaroo meat could well be the highest known source of the healthy fat CLA (conjugated linoleic acid). Whilst CLA is found in dairy, beef and lamb products, the CLA found in kangaroo meat may be as much as five times as great. Research indicates that CLA has potential anti-cancer and anti-Diabetes properties, as well as helping reduce the incidence of obesity and high blood pressure.

Many people think the edible animals are limited to a few types of birds, cattle, swine and sheep. Some Australians eat kangaroo. The Japanese and Inuit eat whale. In Canada seals, bison, moose, elk and deer appear on the menu. Other locations in North America feature game animals as diverse as raccoon, 'possum, musk rat, bear, squirrel, rabbit. In Europe horse is available. In Asia many more exotic animals such as dog are eaten.

In all these cases the animals are eaten for the same reasons:

• It is culturally permissible to eat them
• They are available
• They taste good (at least to some people)

Indeed: why shouldn't Australians eat kangaroo?

Answer 2

The Kangaroo is a symbol and icon of Australia because when countrys think of Australia they think of a Kangeroo.Tourist all over the world come were to see the kangeroo.Infact some people expect to see kangaroos in the citty on the streets

Answer 3

Yes. Some Australians do eat kangaroo meat - but only some. Kangaroo meat is known for its many healthful qualities, and there is a growing market for it. Kangaroos are farmed for the purpose.

However, it is said to be an acquired taste, and certainly only a fraction of Australians have either tried kangaroo, or eat it regularly.

Answer 4

Australians do not eat joeys. Joeys are young marsupials, and the only marsupial meat eaten by Australians is that of adult kangaroos which have been harvested. Aside from the excessive generalisation of suggesting that Australians all eat kangaroo meat - which they most definitely do not - it should be noted that kangaroo meat is currently exported from Australia to over 55 other countries. Kangaroo meat is lean, which makes it more heart-healthy, high in proteins but low in fat. It is one of the most healthful meats consumed by humans.

Answer 5

Australians are not permitted to just go out and kill kangaroos.

The larger kangaroos such as the Red kangaroo and the two species of Grey kangaroo are very common in Australia, with their population in the millions across the country. These large kangaroos are very adaptable, and in fact, the Red kangaroo has benefitted from white settlement and the clearing of land for farming. Farming brings new crops and grazing lands, and drainage canals, which have proved to be a boon for Red kangaroo numbers. As a result, these animals can be present in plague proportions in some areas of Australia, and a very real threat to farmers' livelihoods. For this reason, the government permits culling, but only by licensed hunters.

In addition, wild kangaroos in some areas of Australia are allowed to be harvested for kangaroo meat, demand for which has not only increased in Australia, but by overseas markets. Kangaroo meat has greater health benefits than other meats such as beef, lamb and pork. Again, it is not all Australians which kill these animals, but only government-licensed hunters, who must abide by strict regulations.