2008 Woodie Awards
Foreign Affairs
Save the ... kangaroos?
Tim Granitz
Issue date: 4/11/08 Section: News
I think that at least part of the reason that each one of us from Saint Louis University went to study at Gold Coast, Australia, was to see the kangaroos. With a little luck, we might even get to see them box each other.
As it turns out, kangaroos do not naturally live on the Gold Coast.
However, as we had already flown around the world, we of course had to set out to find these beloved animals that so graciously make their image known on coins, flags, shirts and any tourist item.
A few weeks back, eight of us took a trip south to Melbourne. It just so happens that The Great Ocean Road, a major tourist attraction there, is host to natural-environment kangaroos.
After about 600 kilometers and a lack of kangaroo sightings, we struck gold after entering a private golf course, and spied kangaroos from afar.
To be honest, we actually did not see them first, but rather a sign that read "Strictly no entrance, for kangaroo sightings only."
Fear not, we Americans trekked onward and there they were.
Kangaroos are much bigger than any typical American might anticipate, with males easily reaching 8 feet tall.
Despite being a weekend warrior on the golf course, I truly would be terrified to play this course. Standing right in the fairway are massive kangaroos that will not move if you or your ball approach them. It is a scene that, for some odd reason, did not make it into Caddyshack. Just imagine Judge Smails hitting the ball next to one of these animals with Carl Spackler looking on.
All of this kangaroo talk brings us to the present day, where Canberra-the location of Parliament-has an international crisis going on. Next to the governmental buildings lie open grasslands that used to be home to a military base. The grasslands are now home to a unique lizard species, as well as a few rare plants. The problem is that the roughly 400 kangaroos that live there are eating the lizards and plants. Therefore, the government has decided it will kill 400 kangaroos in the interest of the other species.
As far as I know, Australia is the only country that actually kills and eats its national animal. The shock on the Bond University campus is astounding. If you do not believe me, believe Sir Paul McCartney, who has brought the issue to the international stage by speaking on behalf of animal-rights group Viva!, in March.
As it turns out, there are millions of kangaroos in this country but, for the most part, they are not visible to the public as they live in the outback, the arid and remote interior of the country.
For now, the government has stepped back from its proposed ruthless killing of these destructive kangaroos to save its own face in the international perspective. Meanwhile, the kangaroos are still hopping about aimlessly with the awe of the world at their backs.
Just how far are people going to defend the animals? I know of a few people who have written and spoken about them, but the really proud advocates are actually going to Canberra to fight the governmental action.
Unfortunately, I will not be protesting, but I also will be in Canberra to see the kangaroos, which will require a flight to get to.
It is not every day you get to see international news of this magnitude playing out right in your own backyard.
Tim Granitz is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, studying in Gold Coast, Australia.
As it turns out, kangaroos do not naturally live on the Gold Coast.
However, as we had already flown around the world, we of course had to set out to find these beloved animals that so graciously make their image known on coins, flags, shirts and any tourist item.
A few weeks back, eight of us took a trip south to Melbourne. It just so happens that The Great Ocean Road, a major tourist attraction there, is host to natural-environment kangaroos.
After about 600 kilometers and a lack of kangaroo sightings, we struck gold after entering a private golf course, and spied kangaroos from afar.
To be honest, we actually did not see them first, but rather a sign that read "Strictly no entrance, for kangaroo sightings only."
Fear not, we Americans trekked onward and there they were.
Kangaroos are much bigger than any typical American might anticipate, with males easily reaching 8 feet tall.
Despite being a weekend warrior on the golf course, I truly would be terrified to play this course. Standing right in the fairway are massive kangaroos that will not move if you or your ball approach them. It is a scene that, for some odd reason, did not make it into Caddyshack. Just imagine Judge Smails hitting the ball next to one of these animals with Carl Spackler looking on.
All of this kangaroo talk brings us to the present day, where Canberra-the location of Parliament-has an international crisis going on. Next to the governmental buildings lie open grasslands that used to be home to a military base. The grasslands are now home to a unique lizard species, as well as a few rare plants. The problem is that the roughly 400 kangaroos that live there are eating the lizards and plants. Therefore, the government has decided it will kill 400 kangaroos in the interest of the other species.
As far as I know, Australia is the only country that actually kills and eats its national animal. The shock on the Bond University campus is astounding. If you do not believe me, believe Sir Paul McCartney, who has brought the issue to the international stage by speaking on behalf of animal-rights group Viva!, in March.
As it turns out, there are millions of kangaroos in this country but, for the most part, they are not visible to the public as they live in the outback, the arid and remote interior of the country.
For now, the government has stepped back from its proposed ruthless killing of these destructive kangaroos to save its own face in the international perspective. Meanwhile, the kangaroos are still hopping about aimlessly with the awe of the world at their backs.
Just how far are people going to defend the animals? I know of a few people who have written and spoken about them, but the really proud advocates are actually going to Canberra to fight the governmental action.
Unfortunately, I will not be protesting, but I also will be in Canberra to see the kangaroos, which will require a flight to get to.
It is not every day you get to see international news of this magnitude playing out right in your own backyard.
Tim Granitz is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, studying in Gold Coast, Australia.
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