Australian Kangaroos Culled To Make Way For Car Race

Yahoo! News:

The culling of some 140 kangaroos on one of Australia's most famous race car tracks prompted outrage Friday from environmentalists and animal rights activists.

The eastern grey kangaroos were reportedly removed from the Mount Panorama circuit, about 300 kilometres (185 miles) west of Sydney, to ensure the safety of drivers and spectators in the V8 Supercar Bathurst 1000 car race next week.

Read the whole story: Yahoo! News

Comments

[tabatha]

Australia commits so many crimes against the environment and wildlife, in addition to its horrific treatment of the native Australians.

[unwashedmasses]

CULLED = KILLED

[Roguer]

STATUS: Not endangered. As urban cities spread, the eastern gray kangaroo competes with sheep ranchers, resulting in kangaroos being hunted as pests.

http://www.lazoo.org/animals/mammals/easterngraykangaroo/index.html

Sounds like when cities in the US hire hunters to kill off deer. A lack of natural predators leads to unhealthy, overpopulated, invasive populations. Hmm... kinds reminds me over another species with no natural predators.

[KIVPossum]

My thoughts. It's a non story. Airports regularly have hunters reduce the deer population in the interests of safety.

[oceanofconsciousness]

It was part of the Republican health care plan.

[unwashedmasses]

LOL

[ImissBush]

nascar rulez babee

[jsarets]

Ugh...

I prefer Formula racing, Formula 3 and 2 more so than Formula 1. Those are the ultimate tests of driver skill. Open cockpit, and they have to turn both left AND right, under very high g-forces. World Rally racing is pretty awesome, too. Proper auto racing should leave absolutely no doubt in your mind that you cannot do what those drivers are doing. NASCAR doesn't do that.

[KIVPossum]

Somewhat agree with you. I've broken my NASCAR addiction. However, all racing sanctions require a different set of skills. Granted the NASCAR drivers (or most of them) would not be competitive in open wheel cars on a road course. Fact remains runing a stock car is not something the average Joe can do. Easy enough to run Daytona at 170, alone on the track. Try to do it with 40 other cars running 2 feet apart. Do that for 4 hours in a hot compartment.

I have respect for the talents of anyone who can push a vehicle to the limits.

[SwingingFromCenter]

Denis Leary had it right: It's all about having good PR in the animal kingdom. Everyone gets up in arms about some roos being removed...while they happily wait for the next tuna to get netted so they can eat it.

And most of these people have never even been to Oz. I grew up there. Know what? Roos aren't that great. They aren't that friendly. And they smell. Just like koalas smell bad, have bad tempers, and aren't soft or cuddly. But they "look" cute, thus have good PR, thus making them untouchable? Hardly.

[ImissBush]

ounds lik congress

[yesyesyes]

Right, not REALLY cute ... so they should die for our entertainment & $$.

[Forester]

Are eastern greys endangered?

[Redwood322]

kangaroos are so cute it hurts!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SwingingFromCenter]

...especially when one kicks you.