x
  • Bookmark and ShareShare
  • Earn Points
    What's this?
Sneakers made from kangaroo leather: Why I'm OK with it
I don't think I'm going to sign the petition opposing 'roo leather. How is it any different from cow leather?
Wed, Oct 10 2012 at 5:30 PM
 7
An eastern grey kangaroo.

Photo: Patrick Wilkin/flickr

I have been a vegetarian for almost 20 years (can't wait to celebrate that anniversary when I turn 36 in a few months!) I also once worked for an animal-rights group, and I'm really pissed off that fur is a huge trend in fashion again. So you'd think that I would be up in arms about a recent change.org petition directed at Nike regarding using kangaroo leather for soccer sneakers. But I'm not — well, at least not until I know more. 
 
Why? Because while I am opposed to using any animal part (from crocodile skins to raccoon or fox fur) exclusively for its pelt or skin, I do still wear leather, since it's a (very long-lasting, sometimes environmentally less-impactful) better choice than PVC or other types of plastic shoes and because it's a byproduct of the meat and dairy industries. If a cow is going to die for someone's hamburger, I much prefer the whole animal to be utilized; why waste the hide of a cow when it can be used? 
 
(As an aside: Are there some great, eco-friendly vegan shoes and bags out there? Absolutely, and I sometimes buy them, but they require more effort to find. There are also leather products that are lower-impact and sustainably made, and frankly, the shoes that have lasted the longest in my closet — some going on a decade now — are all leather.) 
 
So, if you are OK with wearing leather (and I understand that not everyone is, and for those people, it makes sense to oppose kangaroo leather, too), why would you sign this petition? I've got to wonder if it's because kangaroos are considered "cute" iconic animals. 
 
In the Australian outback, many people consider kangaroos to be pests, just as people on the Northeast and Midwest of the United States consider white-tailed deer pests. (I personally think human beings are the real pests here, but I'm just talking about how these animals are perceived.) 'Roos are hunted in a controlled fashion, like deer in the U.S., and they are not even close to endangered — there are millions of kangaroos (only certain subspecies face any sort of extinction threat). They are eaten throughout Australia, and because they are a wild food that has minimal carbon footprint, the process of killing them is gentle on water resources and non-polluting (unlike factory-farmed pigs, cows and chickens) and provides a very healthy meat (high in protein and very low in fat); in fact, there are even environmentalists who are vegetarian save for consuming kangaroo meat (kangatarians). What are the pelts and skins of those eaten kangaroos going to be used for, if not the special soccer sneakers that have been made for years? 
 
My point is not to support the hunting of kangaroos — in fact I'm opposed to that and the hunting of any animal. But if people are going to hunt and eat a kangaroo, the whole animal should be used. But what's behind this Change.org petition doesn't seem to be a problem with leather, but a problem with kangaroo leather. Because kangaroos are cute, and cows aren't? Because you're either opposed to wearing/using leather, or you're not, no matter whether it comes from a dog, horse, cow or kangaroo. Being opposed to kangaroo leather just because you live far from where they are common, because you have only seen them in zoos and think they are adorable, has nothing to do with the fact that billions of animals are killed for human use every year. If you care, you should stop eating meat altogether, or only consume animals that you raise and kill yourself, or any other of a million ways you could genuinely help animals. 
 
Unless it turns out that the kangaroos are killed ONLY for their leather, I'm not any more opposed to this than I am other animals being killed and eaten and their skins used to make shoes. If they are killed just for their skins, then this is just as bad as fur. I'm curious to find out, because it looks to me like this is a "save the cute animal while ignoring the real issue" kind of protest. The real issue here is the vast, environmentally destructive, and unhealthy overconsumption of meat in the first world, not using a byproduct of an animal that is going to be killed to make a burger anyway. 
 

The opinions expressed by MNN Bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of MNN.com. While we have reviewed their content to make sure it complies with our Terms and Conditions, MNN is not responsible for the accuracy of any of their information.

You might also like:

Join the conversation

Comments: 7
Sign in with one of these accounts to add your comment.
H Bergen
H Bergen Mar 26 2013 at 3:29 AM
Starr, kangaroos are actually in trouble. The notion of "abundance" and various sustainability and "green"marketing is very successful and deliberate industry messaging, as per the industry's own publically available planning docs. Government's own data shows kangaroo numbers are plummeting, and survey methodology (by contracted and un-peer reviewed ecologists paid by industry) is artificially inflating kangaroo numbers beyond biologically possible limits. Kangaroos have in fact been nominated
.... More
as Threatened, given their 30 population trajectories and expansion of the commercial shooting industry. You might also be interested to know that medical journals are forecasting outbreaks of toxoplasmosis in humans because of the growth in kangaroo meat for human consumption. Because it is so lean it must be undercooked - and government recently confirmed it does not test kangaroo meat for toxo (see Hansard at aph.gov.au) which is virulent in kangaroos. Please take the time, over time, to read the Threatened Species submission at www.kangaroosatrisk.net . There is more research coming, and departments are admitting they don't know what they're doing. You have a responsibility to be informed if you're going to promote the shooting of kangaroos - given shooting rates of 15-40% exceed population growth rates of 3-8%, and minus 35-60% during drought. Whole Australian landscapes are being emptied of kangaroos - and people like yourself don't know it. Unless you are deliberating part of the KIAA's marketing strategy?
|
anonymous
Stacia Oct 17 2012 at 10:37 PM

I am absolutely NOT OK WITH THIS!!!!!! it doesn't matter if the animals are already being killed for the meat which is wrong to begin with!!! If you buy you support the DEMAND!!! ITS WRONG no matter which way you look at it....WEAR FAUX!!!!! EAT VEGGIES!!! STOP THE EXPLOITATION OF ANIMALS!!!

|
vivacampaigns
vivacampaigns Oct 12 2012 at 11:19 AM
There are specific issues here relating to kangaroo leather - not least of all commercialising wildlife (which is bad news whatever way you spin it). Australia has an appalling record when it comes to treating its wild animals and pretty much leads the world when it comes to extinctions - including some species of kangaroos. Bottom line is that if a farmer wants an thousands animals he'll breed that many give or take. However kangaroos are truly wild animals, and are susceptible to disease, drought
.... More
and over-hunting. In fact, population surveys are way down on a decade ago and are in no way stable. Bring the almighty dollar into the equation and you can see where things can go very wrong indeed. Kangaroos are hunted and shot at night in the vast outback away from the scrutiny of the public (with many being shot and mutilated but not killed outright). What makes this vile trade even worse are the hundreds of thousands of little victims, the baby and adolescent joeys (nearly a million a year). Pouch young will be pulled from their dying mother and smashed about the head or even decapitated and then simply discarded and not used by the leather industries. Many adolescents flee and will invariably suffer a slow and lingering death without the protection of their mother. The bottom line is that the kangaroo industry has said numerous times that the soccer cleat industry underpins the killing. Surely that alone should be reason to see an end to it. www.savethekangaroo.com
|
anonymous
Tom Oct 11 2012 at 7:08 PM
Leather isn't a by-product industry, Starre. Also, if you want more sustainability in Vegan shoes - then support them with your wallet and make your voice heard. Don't just buy leather and pretend like synthetics aren't available. For instance, I've own 3 pairs of great vegan shoes that were made with hemp and completely biodegradable. Where is the waste in a shoe that biodegrades? You're highly processed, chemical-laden leather shoes will not biodegrade as gracefully as these shoes will. Anyway,
.... More
I think a petition against using kangaroos for soccer cleats is great - as it is part of a wider issue (the leather industry) - but something that a company can fix. This petition even points out some great synthetics within those same companies that can be used as a benchmark. Starre, look into the leather industry more. Understand that what is happening to these kangaroos, and what happens to the cows used for your shoes is not okay - and it is not a byproduct. Support vegan shoes and support this petition.
|
anonymous
Scott Oct 11 2012 at 6:52 PM
I know for some people, announcing how they feel without actually doing any research is part of the "learning process." Honestly though, it's important to me that before you put any piece of information on the internet - please make sure it's at least somewhat true. The leather industry is incredibly cruel and not linked to other animals tortured for the meat people eat, or the dairy you drink. This is a fact, and one that is easily accessible by simply utilizing the internet that you are so happily
.... More
typing away on. Another thing that is easily accessible via the internet are the vegan shoes that you claim are much harder to find. Google search, bam, done. Zappos? Mooshoes? Hello? Even footlocker, payless, Van's, and many other stores have comparably price synthetic shoes. Yes, of course it's much easier to walk into a store, lie to myself with some made up facts about the sustainability of leather and then pick the nicest looking pair on the shelf. Of course that is easier, but being a conscious, moral human being often requires actually trying to accomplish something. The sustainability argument is also just a seriously moot point. Anyone who does a little research can see that the chemicals used to tan leather are incredibly harmful to the environment, and the people working on them. Meanwhile many great, sustainable alternatives are being made in the vegan shoe world that can be made strong, be comfortable, and recyclable. Your leather shoes last a decade + because they are covered in chemicals, pal. To top it off, to buy leather shoes is to completely ignore the suffering of animals in the leather industry. Cows in India are dragged across great lengths to be killed outside of India, on foot no less. In order to "motivate" these cows, their handlers will shove chili pepper in their eyes, or painfully bend and break their tail to move them. All these cows want to do is rest, and eat. Two things they are deprived of for the vast majority of their journey. So please, don't post any more of your thoughts on something you just don't know anything about. Please don't say out-loud the excuses you use to justify your choices. Please, spare the internet one more piece of misinformation from someone who didn't take the time to do any research before writing. Please, above all else - consider someone else - stop supporting the leather industry.
|
anonymous
Robert Fish Oct 11 2012 at 6:38 PM

Starre - I believe if you were to again read the petition that my family and I put together you would see that while the petition is specific to the use of Kangaroo leather for soccer shoes the alternative we pointed to and encouraged Nike on is their fantastic revolutionary synthetics models called CTR360, Total90 Laser IV, and Mercurial Vapor VIII.

Sincerely,
Robert Fish

|
anonymous
FYI Oct 11 2012 at 3:06 AM

Leather actually is not an innocent by-product of eating animals...far from it. If you are anti-cruelty, check out this informative podcast. http://ec.libsyn.com/p/2/9/0/2903af0cff73144a/leather.mp3?d13a76d516d9de...

|

EDITORS' PICKS

tease weird things

line

tease cellars

line

tease fishing

Advertisement

NEWSLETTER

Mother Nature. Delivered
Advertisement