Why, Oh Why, Is No One Listening?
Every night in Canberra, the same horror unfolds.
As the sun sets, nature reserves are closed to the public. Shooters move in under the cover of darkness. Spotlights sweep across the bush. And kangaroos—gentle, social, sentient beings—are gunned down in the name of “conservation.”
This year alone, 2,981 kangaroos and over 1,000 joeys are being killed across Canberra’s reserves. The ACT Government calls it a “conservation cull.” They say it’s science. They say it’s humane. They say it’s necessary.
But we’ve written. We’ve pleaded. We’ve cried.
Why, oh why, is no one listening?
They say it’s about protecting grasslands. But kangaroos are selective grazers—they nibble the tips of grasses, promoting regrowth and maintaining open grassy structure. They are not the cause of ecosystem collapse. Urban sprawl, invasive species, and habitat fragmentation are.
They say it’s humane. But joeys are still being bludgeoned to death—a method sanctioned by the National Code of Practice. Pouch young are not even counted in population estimates. They are simply collateral damage.
They say it’s science. But even the ACT Government has admitted in past hearings that their claims about kangaroos threatening endangered species were “no more than a public relations exercise.”
Why, oh why, is no one listening?
Independent ecologists have challenged the data. Wildlife carers have shared their heartbreak. Residents have heard the shots. Children have cried when the kangaroos they watched grow disappeared overnight.
Why, oh why, is no one listening?
And all of this—this nightly bloodshed—is funded by $300,000 of taxpayer money every year.
We are told to be proud of this. That Canberra leads the way in “humane” wildlife management. But what kind of leadership shines a spotlight into a mother’s eyes and pulls the trigger? What kind of leadership calls the bludgeoning of her joey “best practice”?
Why, oh why, is no one listening?
To the carers who find broken bodies and orphaned joeys. To the scientists who offer alternatives. To the thousands who have written letters, signed petitions, and begged for change.
We are not asking for silence. We are asking for compassion. We are not asking for inaction. We are asking for alternatives—fertility control, habitat corridors, coexistence. We are not asking for perfection. We are asking for someone to listen.
Because our hearts are already broken. Because the shooting goes on, night after night. Because the blood still soaks the grass. Because the joeys still die in silence.
Why, oh why, is no one listening?
What will it take for someone to finally hear us?
FACT SHEET: The Truth About the ACT Kangaroo Cull
What’s really happening in Canberra’s nature reserves—and why it must stop
What Is the ACT Kangaroo Cull?
Every winter, the ACT Government conducts a “conservation cull” of Eastern Grey Kangaroos across Canberra’s nature reserves.
In 2024, the government culled 1,232 kangaroos and 438 pouch young across seven reserves.
In 2025, the target is 2,981 kangaroos, with operations funded by $300,000 of taxpayer money annually2.
What Happens to the Joeys?
Joeys found in the pouches of shot mothers are killed by blunt force trauma—a method sanctioned by the National Code of Practice.
At-foot joeys are often orphaned and left to die from starvation, exposure, or predation.
These young are not included in population estimates or culling targets, meaning the true death toll is significantly higher.
Is It Really About Conservation?
The ACT Government claims kangaroos must be culled to protect endangered grasslands. But:
Kangaroos are selective grazers—they nibble grass tips, which can stimulate regrowth and maintain open grassy structure.
Independent ecologists and citizen science projects have found no robust evidence that kangaroo grazing harms biodiversity.
In a 2013 tribunal hearing, the ACT Government admitted that its claim about kangaroos threatening endangered species was “no more than a public relations exercise”.
Are There Alternatives?
Yes. The ACT Government has trialled GonaCon, a fertility control vaccine:
In 2024, only 74 kangaroos received the vaccine across three reserves.
Despite promising results, the program remains underfunded and underutilised.
Experts agree that scaling up fertility control could significantly reduce or eliminate the need for lethal culling5.
The Cost of Killing
The ACT Government spends $300,000 per year on the Kangaroo Management Program.
Carcasses are often dumped in landfill or used for bait in predator control programs.
Meanwhile, non-lethal alternatives remain sidelined, despite public support and ethical urgency.
What You Can Do
Write to ACT Ministers and demand an end to the funding of this program.
Share this fact sheet and speak up on social media using #StopTheCull.
Support organisations working to protect kangaroos and promote non-lethal management.
This is not conservation. This is cruelty. And it’s happening in our capital city. Let’s change the narrative—before another joey dies in silence.