Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

ALMOST BEEKEEPING - RELATED TOPICS => FARMING & COUNTRY LIFE => Topic started by: 220 on February 01, 2018, 06:28:21 am

Title: Mass kangaroo deaths
Post by: 220 on February 01, 2018, 06:28:21 am
Thought this might be of interest
http://www.theland.com.au/story/5201186/mass-roo-death-shame-in-western-nsw/?cs=495


some very good points raised,
Title: Re: Mass kangaroo deaths
Post by: Acebird on February 01, 2018, 09:25:16 am
Out of site, out of mind.  The farmer is the only one to see it.  How does a farmer make a living in the desert anyway?
Title: Re: Mass kangaroo deaths
Post by: jalentour on February 01, 2018, 02:45:38 pm
Wiki has a nice read about herd culling quotas and products made from kangaroo. 
My best baseball mitt was Roo Hide. 
It's a shame with world hunger being what it is that there aren't more commercial uses for kangaroo meat. 
It also seems that the Federal Government makes it a little difficult to harvest roo meat.
Does anyone know what kangaroo meat tastes like?

Locally, in my neck of the woods, the deer population is close to out of control.  In some areas tree saplings do not exist to renew woodlands.  Indiana has a pretty liberal hunting season but in my opinion it is not long enough.

Thanks for the link 220.
Title: Re: Mass kangaroo deaths
Post by: 220 on February 02, 2018, 03:44:05 am
Out of site, out of mind.  The farmer is the only one to see it.  How does a farmer make a living in the desert anyway?

After good rainfall it produces plenty of feed, most tend to stock what they can run in a average year and adjust to the season. While they might reduce numbers by 75% in a dry year the roo numbers stay the same until a event like the current one.
Most also make a bit of money out of the feral goats, goats have been bringing $5-6/kg dressed. The picture with the roos at the water had a few goats in the background, with the yards it almost looked like they were setup to trap goats as they come to water which is a fairly common way to do it.
Title: Re: Mass kangaroo deaths
Post by: Acebird on February 02, 2018, 08:33:10 am
So the goats are wiled too?
Title: Re: Mass kangaroo deaths
Post by: jalentour on February 02, 2018, 10:49:11 am
Getting that much for feral goat is pretty good.  I bet it's a little gamey though.
Goat meat isn't so popular here that i am aware of, more goat cheese.
Is the area your are writing about mostly green with a short drought?
Title: Re: Mass kangaroo deaths
Post by: BeeMaster2 on February 02, 2018, 12:17:34 pm
Wiki has a nice read about herd culling quotas and products made from kangaroo. 
My best baseball mitt was Roo Hide. 
It's a shame with world hunger being what it is that there aren't more commercial uses for kangaroo meat. 
It also seems that the Federal Government makes it a little difficult to harvest roo meat.
Does anyone know what kangaroo meat tastes like?

Locally, in my neck of the woods, the deer population is close to out of control.  In some areas tree saplings do not exist to renew woodlands.  Indiana has a pretty liberal hunting season but in my opinion it is not long enough.

Thanks for the link 220.
JV,
There used to be a fast food restaurant up north that sold hamburgers cheap. I remember the commercial was something like "Steer in to steer in". We used to tease my sister and say steer in to Karen. That is why I remember it. They did real well until someone found out they were using kangaroo meet. They went out of business in just a few weeks.
Jim
Title: Re: Mass kangaroo deaths
Post by: jalentour on February 02, 2018, 02:44:46 pm
Well...
I's still waiting for someone to tell me what it tastes like. 
Please don't say chicken.
Title: Re: Mass kangaroo deaths
Post by: Dallasbeek on February 02, 2018, 02:55:46 pm
Well...
I's still waiting for someone to tell me what it tastes like. 
Please don't say chicken.

But what if it does? 

If someone was selling it on hamburgers, it must taste like beef, but what if it does taste like chicken?
Title: Re: Mass kangaroo deaths
Post by: BeeMaster2 on February 02, 2018, 03:09:50 pm
No one knew it wasn't beef until someone blew the whistle.
Jim
Title: Re: Mass kangaroo deaths
Post by: Dallasbeek on February 02, 2018, 03:18:14 pm
No one knew it wasn't beef until someone blew the whistle.
Jim

Stands to reason.  If we were used to eating roo, people would get upset about substiting beef for roo.  People are weird.
Title: Re: Mass kangaroo deaths
Post by: 220 on February 02, 2018, 04:53:38 pm
Most of the western district NSW is 10-18" annual rainfall, goats are feral but are viewed more as unmanaged livestock than true ferals. 30 years since I have worked in the western district. The place I was on was just under 200,000 acres and ran around 8,000 sheep. Even back then the goats were seen as a valuable resource and about 1000 a year would be mustered and sold. In todays money that would be $50-100k. They say more goat meat is eaten world wide that anything else, makes sense when you consider goats thrive in just about any climate.
Roo is a very lean meat, the major reason I think it has never taken off for human consumption is briefly touched on in the article.
The current system allocates a certain harvest number annually, shooters are paid on weight with no grading system so the animals taken are the biggest and heaviest. They are also the worst eating, no different to eating a 12 year old bull and comparing it to a bit of veal.
If they introduced a grading system for roo meat and payed a premium for the younger better eating animals they might be able to build a real market for human consumption. It would also leave a far better population balance and healthier roo population.
Trouble is there seems to real opposition from within those responsible for managing our native wildlife to anyone gaining any sort of financial benefit from them. Millions of roos are shot annually with cull tags but they are left to rot. I get about 50 tags annually for 200 acres and am not even allowed to take any meat for the farm dogs. The whole roo is just left to rot in the paddock.
Title: Re: Mass kangaroo deaths
Post by: Acebird on February 02, 2018, 05:18:04 pm
No one knew it wasn't beef until someone blew the whistle.
Jim

It probably wasn't 100% roo and then it gets doused with MSG and maybe some spices and coming from OZ it is probably radiated.  I forget what fast food restaurant up my way closed down because they were mixing in horse meat.  Heck grass fed beef doesn't taste like corn fed beef and they are the same animal.
Title: Re: Mass kangaroo deaths
Post by: Acebird on February 02, 2018, 05:21:26 pm
I get about 50 tags annually for 200 acres and am not even allowed to take any meat for the farm dogs.

That sounds political.  I was thinking they could use if for dog food.
Title: Re: Mass kangaroo deaths
Post by: Skeggley on March 05, 2018, 09:09:59 am
Well...
I's still waiting for someone to tell me what it tastes like. 
Please don't say chicken.

Roo meat is like beef but with a musky or gamey taste. Old roo is tough but ok in hamburgers as long as you don't tell anyone. ;)
Young roo is nice but hard to get.
Title: Re: Mass kangaroo deaths
Post by: amun-ra on March 07, 2018, 05:31:06 am
It has a taste all its own but is very lean so must not bee overcooked or it goes tough
do your research on roos they can carry young for many months waiting for the grass to grow then the young ones start growing in the pouch.Now we have a big wet in queensland their numbers will bee through the roof by xmas.
Title: Re: Mass kangaroo deaths
Post by: Anybrew2 on March 07, 2018, 04:17:43 pm
jvalentour, it has a very strong pungent smell and the meat is dark red and basically fat free. When you cook a piece as in fry it in a pan do it quick a minute or too on either side otherwise it is like chewing an old boot. When you cook it,it has a nasty smell. I compare it to Venison is the closest I can think of but the smell puts me off.
You can stew the hell out of it and unless you add heaps off flavour to the pot it still tastes as it smells.

Minced up in a meat patty or turned into sausages are eatable. These are commercially available but they add herbs etc to make it go down.

It aint a go to meat in my house.

Cheers Steve