Animal Rights Activists Protest Nike Kangaroo Slaughter
The News
Angered by Nike’s refusal to stop slaughtering wild kangaroos for their skin, dozens of animal rights activists disrupted business at the company’s store in New York City’s Flatiron District. During the protest, which took place on June 5th, the activists educated pedestrians about kangaroo slaughter and encouraged Nike customers to purchase cruelty-free alternatives to skin. The protest was organized by the animal rights groups NYCLASS, TheirTurn and The Center for A Humane Economy, a Washington-D.C.-based advocacy group leading the #KangaroosAreNotShoes campaign, a global effort to end the use of kangaroo skin for shoe leather.
The massacre of kangaroos in Australia represents the largest slaughter of land-based wildlife in the world. According to the Center for a Humane Economy, 70% of the approximately two million kangaroos killed each year for commercial purposes are used to make soccer shoes for sportswear companies like Nike.
The Australian National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies for Commercial Purposes governs the industry and sanctions this cruelty. An estimated 40% of kangaroos are shot in the neck or body instead of the head, in violation of the federal code, resulting in wounding and non-instantaneous death. Those who escape die slowly from their gunshot wounds.
Some of the females who are shot have babies (joeys) in their pouches or by their sides. Code dictates that hunters either decapitate or bludgeon to death the joeys who are in the pouches. The joeys who are not in their mother’s pouch often die slowly from exposure and predation. Each year, an estimated 500,000 to 800,000 joeys die during the nightly kangaroo hunt.
The Center for a Humane Economy says that Nike rationalizes the mass slaughter of wild kangaroos by engaging in green washing and humane washing. According to Nike, “Suppliers must source animal skins from processors that use sound animal husbandry and humane animal treatment/slaughtering practices.” Activists say that hunting down wild animals who want to live in peace with their families is inherently inhumane.
The Kangaroo Protection Act, federal legislation introduced in 2021, would ban the importation of kangaroo products into the United States. Several retailers, including Nordstrom, Gucci, Prada, and Versace, have already stopped selling kangaroo skin products. The sale of kangaroo parts is banned in California.
New York City is one of many U.S. and Australian cities participating in the #KangaroosAreNotShoes campaign. On June 4th, activists in Los Angeles staged a disruption inside of the Nike store in Santa Monica, and activists in Portland protested in front of a sports stadium.
Killing Kangaroos for their skin is an outrage! I’m sure Nike can get by making Nike’s without killing a Kangaroo! How many Kangaroos and their babies have died because the killer was too busy killing the Kangaroo and didn’t see the Joey in her pouch?
HONTE à ces barbares qui massacrent les KANGOUROUS pour utiliser leurs peaux pour
ces chaussures NIKE.Il faut banir cette marque….C’ est HONTEUX et SCANDALEUX…
Friends of dxe in Calif where a action org female glue her hand to floor of sport event live why black player sets chickens on fire direct action woman holds up game direct action does get the message out does There Turn do any such direct action please advise
That is reall sad that are shooting the Kangaroo for there
Skin for using on Nike shoe’s the are Criminal for abd they Babies
Die for that. Shame on you for doing that…☠️☠️.