Wild Meat: It's There for the Taking

John Lethlean of The Australian documented, in a recent article, an experience that most hunters would be familiar with, albeit with different game. In this article John joins a pro roo shooter in the boondocks of South Australia for a midnight hunt, the bounty of which is destined for the supermarkets and restaurants of Australia.

In his article, John quite rightly highlights the benefits of eating kangaroo: it is a wild meat, harvested from animals that are the best evolved to cope with the wildly swinging pendulum that is Australia's climate. The meat is a far more sustainable source than domesticated stock equivalents. And it is a quality, lean, healthy meat; all characteristics shared with many an introduced species. (You can read all about my thoughts on the wiley old roo in my last blog here.)

But enough about the humble roo and it's sustainable, ecologically friendly and oh so delicious offerings. The point of this blog is to address something that John wrote that struck me in the face like a frying wielded with the strength of a jilted lover:

"WILD-CAUGHT barramundi over farmed stuff. Bunny from the paddock instead of the farmed creature. Wild venison over farmed deer which, unless it's shot in the field, deteriorates considerably under the stress of herding and transport to the abattoir, I'm told.

You get the point. Wild protein is impossible to beat. But, the way I figure it, wild food will increasingly become an almost unaffordable luxury for the next generation."

An unaffordable luxury eh? Last time I checked my deep freezer I still had about 10kg of fine quality, wild sourced venison. If I need a rabbit for the pot there are any number of paddocks to source one from. And with the recent redeclaration of State Forests in NSW, sourcing wild protein has become all the more realistic for many of the r-licensed hunters across the state.

Every day inviting images of wild caught game prepared in a rough but warmly inviting manner adorn my Facebook news feed via groups like Gourmet Hunters. Those responsible though are no millionaires; they are usually hunters of modest means, but with a down-to-earth attitude, an appreciation for the satisfaction that is bringing home food for your family. Alongside these delectable offerings are photos of vege gardens, herb gardens and of kids enjoying fresh, down to earth food; something that is shared with many a suburban mother or father.

Which leads me to this: with this whole slow food/locavore/organic-is-good revolution we're seeing in the gastronomic universe, it is quite surprising that there hasn't been a greater focus on the protein side of things. It has been few the number of celebrity chefs, food critics etc that have ventured into the taboo waters of hunting game for meat. Even fewer are the numbers of every day folk that have taken up the rifle or shotgun along with the shovel or hoe.

Why?

The meat is there for the taking, what is stopping you?

Homemade venison bratwurst. The venison
was sourced from a young male Sambar (deer)
taken from the Victorian Alps.

Non-Commercial Roo Cull: Wasteful & Disrespectful

Once again the issue of culling kangaroos has come to the fore of the media, particularly in Canberra, but the truth is that following the conversion of much of the landscape to grazing and cropping country, in a good seasons this practice is repeated time and time again across NSW as populations of Eastern Greys reach levels that cause damage to primary producers.

The ACT Civil & Administrative Tribunal (ACAT) set an annual quota for 2013 of 1244 kangaroos; the reaction was considerable particularly from the animal welfare and green groups. But the truth is that some properties in isolation can be granted this many tags for their annual cull such is the problem with excess populations of eastern grey kangaroos.

The science behind the culling of native animal populations is fairly well settled: our understanding of the population, their response to stress and the "excess" is now well known and gone are the days of an all out declaration on them - thank heavens for that! The fact that we're back every year culling again suggests that the overall impact is not of any great detriment to the population.

But what this little piece is about is what happens to them following the cull.



Now kangaroo meat is widely regarded (ironically less so in Australia) as a valuable source of rich protein; it is low in fat and has other anti-carcinogenic and anti-diabetes properties (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangaroo_meat#Products).

It is also widely held as an ecologically superior product to domesticated livestock with kangaroos being vastly superior in their adaptation to the Australian landscape, performing better during droughts, limiting the damage to root systems of native pastures and leading to much less erosion and siltation of waterways.

 All in all, kangaroo is a very valuable natural resource.

In NSW, non-commercial culling of macropods (the dominant being eastern grey kangaroos) is governed by the National Parks and Wildlife Act. A landholder makes an application to the NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service; a staff member makes a determination and issues the appropriate number of tags. In my experience and the experience of those I've talked to in the past is that the local NPWS rangers are often very friendly, easy to get along with and are sympathetic to the farmers' plight.

So what's the problem?

Well the problem arises when one tries to put all that wonderful protein to use. You see the overwhelming majority of permits prohibit the carcasses being removed from the property.

This has two major problems: the waste of protein and the increased food available to feral carnivores and omnivores.

Following the ACT cull this year, the former issue was raised in the mainstream media (Dumped Roos Seen as Waste of Protein). Unfortunately it never amounted to any real interest among the public, despite the waste of something in the order of 28,000kg of rich protein.

In this case, the concerns of Territory and Municipal Services Minister Shane Rattenbury are valid; with a commercial enterprise in place the investors would want to see a return on their investment and this may mount undue pressure on the annual quota, particularly in a dry or run of dry years. But to dismiss any use of the meat for human consumption on the grounds of these concerns is, to put it bluntly, a soft option; it's a cop out.

If we look to similar programs around the world, the United States sets the standard with their Sportsmen Against Hunger program. This program enables hunters to donate game meat to be used for feeding the disadvantaged within their communities. In 2010 they donated enough meat to generate 1.9 million meals.

Why can't this be replicated in Australia? With hundreds of thousands of kangaroos culled annually we are not short of protein. Instead though they are left to rot in paddocks, providing a temporary food source for destructive pest animals such as wild dogs and feral pigs who then turn on native wildlife and stock to supplement their feed once the glut of prime kangaroo is spent.

It is an incredible waste and an act of despicable disrespect. It's a valuable resource that could contribute to improving the lives of our fellow man, why not use it?