Kangaroos are commercially harvested in Australia at a scale of several million animals per year, representing the world's largest wildlife harvest. The welfare standards of this industry are a significant and contested issue.
Kangaroo harvesting welfare is difficult to assess precisely because it occurs at night, in remote areas, by independent shooters operating under self-reported compliance. The Code of Practice represents a genuine attempt to set welfare standards, but field enforcement is limited. Independent research has documented higher rates of wounding and inhumane joey killing than the Code permits. Consumers purchasing kangaroo products marketed as sustainable alternatives to farmed meat should be aware that welfare verification at commercial scale is genuinely challenging.