Kangaroos are killed for their skin and meat at an unbelievable scale—it’s the largest slaughter of land-based wild animals in the world. Sports companies like Adidas that use kangaroo leather to make soccer cleats are driving the killing.
Kangaroos: Beloved But Killed
Kangaroos are an iconic species, universally recognized and beloved though they’re indigenous only to Australia and Papa New Guinea. Despite this, more than a million kangaroos are killed by commercial hunters every year. Their meat and skin are sold and exported to approximately 70 countries where they’re used for food and fashion.
Kangaroos are targeted at night as they graze. Hunters shine lights in their faces to blind them and then shoot them. An estimated 40% of shots are not immediately fatal, leaving kangaroos to slowly bleed to death or suffer permanent injuries. Joeys still in their mothers’ pouches are bludgeoned to death or die from starvation, predation, or exposure.
Sports Companies Say No to Kangaroo Leather
Kangaroo leather, also called K-leather, was once the preferred material for high-end soccer cleats but that’s changing. Following pressure campaigns, Nike and Puma announced they would phase out kangaroo leather in 2023. New Balance followed suit a few months later. Other fashion brands, including Versace and Prada, have also removed kangaroo from their fashions. Adidas is one of the last major sports apparel companies to keep using kangaroo leather.
States that Ban Kangaroo Leather
California has a decades-old law prohibiting the sale of kangaroo meat and leather (though some retailers have flouted the ban) and other states may soon follow suit. Bills in Arizona, Oregon, New Jersey, and Connecticut were introduced but unsuccessful in 2023 (a bill in the Vermont legislature is still pending). At the national level, the Kangaroo Protection Act would ban the sale of kangaroo body parts in the US.
New York could ban kangaroo leather this year. Sponsored by Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal and Senator James Skoufis, S8829/A07840 would help push remaining fashion companies to remove the kangaroo leather from their lines and end this cruel industry for good. If you live in New York, send a message to your state legislators asking them to co-sponsor this bill.