Clover Diary

Is the Australian kangaroo on the endangered species list? Australia is the one continent in the world with the most animals on the endangered species list however not all 47 kangaroo species are endangered. It is the tree kangaroo that has been included in the list. Most other kangaroo species are populous and even considered as pests.

However, it was a national crisis when news about baby kangaroo skin being used to make football boots screamed from national dailies. As a matter of fact, it is estimated that almost 4 million kangaroos are decapitated every year to make shoes.  Kangaroo boot leather is known to be pliable and softer than cow leather. They are also more reliable under any weather condition even if synthetic leather can do just as well.

David Beckham voluntarily stopped using these types of boots in 2006 but many have not followed suit. The government has begun to regulate the slaughter of kangaroos and use of its leather but has not stopped anyone from making athletes’ shoes out this type leather. The practice is not endangering kangaroos since the demand for these boots are not very high.

Other animals only found in Australia are the wallabies and koalas. There are also the furseals, dingo, Tasmanian Devil, Bottle-nosed dolphin, numbat, platypus, salt water crocodile, and a lot more. Unique are pouched animals which do not necessarily mean something similar to that of the kangaroo. Some of the pouches are just a flap of skin over other skin and cannot be used for transporting babies or food.

Reference: Illustrated Encyclopedia of endangered animals.