British Soccer Matches Attract Roo Boot Protest

The following article by Malcolm Brown was in "The Sydney Morning Herald" on March 29 2002.

Animal activists picketing soccer matches in Britain this long weekend - protesting about the use of kangaroo hide to make football boots - claim to be at the vanguard of an international campaign to protect the kangaroo.

Organisers of an International Kangaroo  Protection  Coalition, formed in Australia six months ago, have said this is just an opening shot in a campaign which will include posters in Australia and public support by such figures as The Crocodile Hunter on TV, Steve Irwin.

The British animal rights group VIVA!, which has campaigned successfully to have kangaroo meat taken off  the shelves of most British supermarkets, is targeting soccer matches because it claims at least some players are using boots made of kangaroo leather.

VIVA! director Juliet Gellatley, who attended a conference on the kangaroo at the University of NSW in last July said: "I don't think they (the manufacturers) give a whatsit where they get the skins from. But what does matter to them is being embarrassed in the public eye, and their image. We are calling on all British football players to help end this butchery and boycott kangaroo leather products."

The footwear manufacturer Adidas has issued a statement from its headquarters in Germany saying it shares the concerns of activists about humane-ness towards animals.

But it said: "We  have contacted  the company which supplies us with  kangaroo leather to receive detailed information about its practices  and measures. The  leather supplier  confirmed that they have to abide by all governments rules and regulations, otherwise they would not receive an export permit."

Maryland Wilson, president of the Australian Wildlife Protection Council, said the scientific arguments against the killing of kangaroos  were now so strong there was need for urgent public re-education.

The culling, driven by the kangaroo products industry, had now reached a level that put whole species in jeopardy.

There was to be a kangaroo workshop on Easter Saturday, at the Hellenic Club in Elizabeth Street.