10

FALL 2010
29.3 3 4 8
Ashley Judd Lawsuit to Australia’s
Speaks Out for Help Suffering Kangaroos:
Kentucky’s Elephants at Cruelty
Animals Seattle Zoo Down Under

A NEWSLETTER FOR SUPPORTERS OF THE ANIMAL LEGAL DEFENSE FUND

Turtle Tragedy
ALDF files suit to prevent BP from burning alive endangered sea turtles

While the words “British Petroleum” may
now be forever linked with “oil spill” and
“environmental disaster,” the Animal Legal
Defense Fund refuses to let BP add “animal
cruelty” to the company’s hall of shame. In
June, we joined a coalition of animal pro-
tection and conservation groups concerned
about reports that BP’s cleanup efforts were
resulting in sea turtles being burned alive,
and together we filed a lawsuit and motion
for a temporary restraining order against
British Petroleum America, Inc., British
Petroleum Exploration & Production and
British Petroleum PLC for being in viola-
tion of federal laws.
As if the recent disaster along the ecolog-
ically sensitive Gulf Coast weren’t bad
enough—with heavy crude oil gushing
from the seabed, spreading across thou-
sands of square miles and onto fragile
shorelines—officials from the Coast Guard
and BP had likely turned the catastrophe
into a flaming nightmare for sea turtles.
Weeks after the April 20th explosion and
sinking of BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig,
which unleashed the worst oil spill in U.S.
history, workers began corralling some of
the thicker oil on the water’s surface into
“burn boxes” and torching it. Experts sub-
mitted testimony that in the process sea
turtles trapped in the burn boxes were likely
being incinerated.
Five species of threatened or endan-
gered sea turtles live or breed in the Gulf,
and as the Deepwater Horizon oil well
hemorrhaged an unthinkable (and
uncountable) amount of oil from its
depths, hundreds of turtles and other
marine animals died from the saturation,
many by suffocation. But BP and the Coast
Guard’s risky clean-up methods, and the
threat they posed to sea turtles, were as
unconscionable. These animals surface
continued on page 6
 LETTER FROM THE
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

2
PAGE
Bridging the Gap
For the When I tell people that the law views animals

Record
“With traditional
law enforcement,
the attitude has
been that we have
enough stuff on
our plate, let the
others worry
about Fluffy and
Muffy. But I’m
starting to see a
shift in that
mentality now.”
as property – much like a desk or chair – their
reaction is usually one of surprise, if not shock.
That’s because it is obvious to most people
nowadays that animals are sentient; meaning they have feelings, both physical feelings, like
pain and cold, and emotional feelings, like fear and joy. But it was not always so. For centu-
ries, scientific, philosophical and religious tenets supported the notion that animals were
essentially living machines. Centuries of legal doctrine merely followed suit.
Today, this gap between our understanding of animals as complex social, biological and
sentient beings, and our legal classification of them as property, provides both our greatest
challenge and our greatest opportunity. The challenge is that since “property” cannot have
rights, or interests, under the law, it is extremely difficult and often impossible to represent
animals in court. That’s what makes ALDF’s work so important. Until there is a fundamental
change in the law, we need dedicated, creative lawyers to come up with legal strategies to pro-
tect animals under our current laws.
On the other hand, as our understanding of the complexity and sentience of nonhuman
animals has evolved, so too must our laws. History shows us that as our understanding and
compassion grows, our ethics and morals change and, ultimately, our laws as well. Two centu-
ries ago, it may have seemed impossible that the law would forbid slavery. A century ago,
many would not have imagined that women would win the legal right to vote. And it was less
than 50 years ago that our laws finally put an end to legal segregation (though battles contin-
ue to be fought for equal treatment for people under the law).
As in all these other movements, the law will one day catch up to our social values regard-
ing animals and recognize that animals have inherent rights that deserve to be protected. But,
also like these other movements, that change will not happen without lawyers willing to fight
for it. For more than 30 years, ALDF attorneys have led the charge, using the law to save lives,
abolish cruel practices, assure animal abusers are brought to justice and, ultimately, to pave
the legal road to a more just future for animals under the law.
For the animals,

— Sgt. David Hunt, a dog-

fighting expert with the
Franklin County Sheriff’s Stephen Wells, Executive Director
Office in Columbus, Ohio,
talking about the link
between activities The Animal Legal Defense Fund is
Stephen BOARD OF DIRECTORS a nonprofit organization funded
like dogfighting and Wells almost entirely by individual, tax-
domestic violence Executive Sarah H. Luick Jim Rockenbach deductible contributions. If you
Director Interim Chair Treasurer would like more information about
Joshua K. Marquis our work, are interested in joining,
NEWSLETTER STAFF Vice Chair & Secretary or wish to notify us of a change of
Lisa Franzetta Editor address, write to the address on
Mark Hawthorne Directors back, email us at info@aldf.org,
Contributing Writer Darcy Alamuddin • Marilyn Forbes or call (707) 795-2533. Please
Stephen Farley Design see “copyright” link on aldf.org
Tracy A. Miller • Dean G.C. Vanech for trademark information.
Newsletter Design
Southern Star Power
Ashley Judd joins the fight to help Kentucky’s homeless animals
Lending her celebrity status to a critical issue,
actress Ashley Judd recently joined thousands of
other ALDF supporters in asking Kentucky
Governor Steve Beshear to protect the state’s
homeless animals through tough enforcement
of the Humane Shelter Law. Regular readers of
The Animals’ Advocate will recall that ALDF has
been urging Kentucky’s 120 counties to safe-
guard their animals. In the past two years, we
have filed lawsuits against Robertson and Estill
counties, both of which operated animal shel-
ters that failed to comply with the state’s
Humane Shelter Law. The law, which sets mini-
mum standards that counties must meet in car-
ing for their homeless animals, was passed in
2004, but it comes without an enforcement pro-
vision. Ashley’s signed petition to Governor
Beshear notes, “As a supporter of the Animal
Legal Defense Fund, I strongly urge you to step
in and end the suffering of all innocent animals
in Kentucky by pressing the legislature to act
and have the state take back responsibility for
oversight of these shelters.”
3
PAGE
In the absence of enforcement, it has taken
intervention by ALDF to get counties to make
critically needed improvements to their shel-
ters. Gravely ill and injured animals have been
left to languish in their cages with no medical
treatment, often facing attack from other ani-
mals who are housed with them; unaltered
male and female animals were housed togeth-
er, resulting in pregnancies and exacerbating
the overpopulation crisis; and dogs were
forced to relieve themselves, sleep and even
eat their food directly off of the same filthy
kennel floors.
Though born in California, Judd was raised
in the Bluegrass State and is a graduate of the
University of Kentucky, where she can often
be found rooting for the school’s basketball
team. In signing ALDF’s petition, she request-
ed that the governor take swift action to give
the Humane Shelter Law the teeth it needs to “As a supporter of
make a difference for animals. You can help!
Please add your name to our online petition
the Animal Legal
by visiting www.aldf.org/kentuckypetition. Defense Fund, I
strongly urge you
to step in and end
the suffering of all
innocent animals
in Kentucky.”
— Ashley Judd, in her
petition to improve over-
sight of animal shelters

4
PAGE
“This lawsuit
highlights the
city’s misuse of tax
dollars to support
an illegal activity.
It is subsidizing
animal cruelty
with the citizens’
money.”
—Bruce Wagman,
ALDF’s chief outside
litigation counsel
A lifetime of suffering
for Bamboo at the
Woodland Park Zoo
Suffering in Seattle
ALDF represents citizens suing city to stop cruelty to elephants in zoo
Back and forth she rocks, bobbing her head
and swaying from side to side. But Chai, a
31-year-old Asian elephant confined to the
Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, isn’t doing this
for fun. She is exhibiting stress-induced behav-
ior typical of animals who are literally going
crazy because they are restricted to spaces too
small for their physical and psychological wel-
fare. This is just one reason the Animal Legal
Defense Fund is representing two Seattle tax-
payers in their lawsuit against the city. In addi-
tion to Chai, the zoo currently holds two other
female elephants—Bamboo and Watoto—and
all three are afforded less than a single acre of
land on which to live. The world’s largest land
mammals, elephants are migratory animals
who may cover as much as 50 miles a day in
the wild, foraging for food and water and get-
ting the physical and mental stimulation that is
crucial to their health.
The lawsuit, filed in King County Superior
Court in June, argues that taxpayer dollars
should not be used to subsidize the animal
cruelty routinely practiced as part of the ele-
phant exhibit at the Woodland Park Zoo. The
City of Seattle provides the zoo with millions
of dollars every year, all collected from taxes.
“Essentially, this lawsuit highlights the city’s
misuse of tax dollars to support an illegal activ-
ity,” says Bruce Wagman, ALDF’s chief outside
litigation counsel. “It is subsidizing animal cru-
elty with the citizens’ money. The detriment to
the elephants constitutes a waste of public
‘property’ because the elephants are under our
care.” The suit cites both the state anti-cruelty
law prohibiting the infliction of pain and suf-
fering and part of the Seattle Municipal Code,
which states that it is unlawful to “keep an ani-
mal in quarters that are injurious to the animal
due to inadequate protection from heat or
cold, or that are of insufficient size to permit
the animal to move about freely.”
Nancy Farnam and Mary Sebek, the law-
suit’s plaintiffs, assert that the zoo’s inade-
quate facilities do not meet the physical and
psychological needs of the captive elephants.
The lack of extensive walking space and the
harsh ground they walk on, for example, has
led to chronic foot and joint problems for the
elephants. These problems range from rela-
tively minor cracks in their nails to crippling
osteoarthritis and abscesses and infections
that cause significant pain and require medi-
cation and even surgical intervention.
Captive Cruelty
Confined to a barn for 16 hours a day for
at least half the year, and forced to stand on
hard, unnatural surfaces most of the time,
Bamboo, Chai and Watoto suffer from a vari-
ety of other captivity-related ailments, includ-
ing infertility, aggression and stereotypical
repetitive behaviors, such as swaying and pac-
ing, which are distinct signs of psychological
injury. A fourth elephant from the zoo, Sri,
was shipped to the St. Louis Zoo for its breed-
ing program in 2002. The zoo successfully
impregnated Sri, but her full-term fetus died
in utero, and she has been carrying the
deceased fetus in her womb for more than
four years.
In the wild, female elephants live their whole
lives in large extended family groups, and regu-
larly bond with groups that may include hun-
dreds of other elephants. They are able to iden-
tify one another, engage in complex social ritu-
als, help their injured and ill and mourn their
dead. They are supported and educated by
their elders and their social group throughout
life, and they depend on that structure for
health and welfare. But the elephants in the
Woodland Park Zoo have been deprived of
every aspect of normal life. After being born in
the wild, all four elephants were taken from
their homes, denied all contact with their fami-
lies and their natural environment, shipped
thousands of miles to a strange environment
and forced from a young age to spend the rest
of their lives in captivity.
“I was shocked to learn how much the
Woodland Park Zoo elephants had suffered
over the years at the zoo,” says Farnam. “I had
no idea, and when I found out, I felt responsi-
ble to try to do something. Brutal treatment
and severe confinement turned Bamboo from
a friendly, sweet-natured elephant into an
aggressive one.” Bamboo, 43, was captured in
Thailand and has lived in zoos since she was a
baby. After being labeled a “problem” elephant
because she did not like being mistreated,
Bamboo was moved to another zoo for less
than a year, where she spent most of her time
alone, and was eventually returned to the
Woodland Park Zoo.
As the lone African elephant at the zoo,
Watoto, 41, cannot interact with others of her
species. Indeed, both she and Bamboo spend
much of their time in complete isolation—an
unnatural and stressful state for any elephant.
Because she and Bamboo do not get along,
they are kept apart all the time by confining
one or the other to the elephant barn or the
shower stall in the barn, or by placing them in
separate small yards in the outside enclosure.
The social isolation is cruel deprivation by
itself, and their physical problems simply add
to that distress. Standing on these hard sur-
faces has contributed to the osteoarthritis
they suffer. Watoto is also plagued by chronic
intestinal problems, which have caused leth-
argy and serious blood-related problems; in
2008, the zoo locked her in the barn alone for
weeks while she recovered.
Zoo life has been even crueler to Chai, who
has been subjected to nearly 60 invasive
attempts at artificial insemination, all of them
unsuccessful. Zoos prize baby elephants, as
these popular animals drive up tickets sales
and donations. Chai suffered multiple mis-
carriages, each one resulting in physical and
psychological pain. In 1998, she was sent to
the Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield,
Missouri, to be mated with a bull elephant.
Dickerson zoo keepers beat Chai, and the
United States Department of Agriculture (the
agency charged with enforcing the federal
Animal Welfare Act) eventually fined the zoo
$5,000. The mating was successful, however,
and Chai was returned to the Woodland Park
Zoo, where she gave birth to a female calf.
Attendance quickly doubled when Chai’s baby
was put on display. The zoo held a contest to
name the baby elephant, and among the
16,000 entries, zoo employees suggested she
be named “Casha-Cow.”
The winning name was Hansa, and the calf
eventually developed a habit of eating dirt at the
zoo—a behavior most likely caused by deficient
diet or psychological distress. Instead of address-
ing her needs, zoo staff beat Hansa with a stick
called a bullhook, which has a sharp steel prod
on one end. Bullhooks are routinely used by cir-
5
cuses and many zoos to punish and control ele-
PAGE
phants, especially when trying to “teach” them
to perform tricks. Her immune system weak-
ened by the constant stress, Hansa died from
elephant endotheliotropic herpes virus (EEHV)
in 2007. She was six years old.
The zoo continues its attempts to breed
Chai, despite knowing that newborn calves at
the zoo w ill be exposed to her pes,
since  Watoto has tested positive for
the virus and Chai and Bamboo also may be
carriers. Eighty-five percent of elephants
infected with EEHV die. The disease causes
an incredibly painful death from massive
internal hemorrhaging and heart failure.
Seeking Solutions
“The premature and gruesome death of
Hansa from a deadly virus and the zoo’s con-
tinued attempts to expose another baby ele-
phant to the same virus only confirmed to me
that life at the zoo hasn’t been a healthy, happy
existence for these elephants,” says Farnam.
Mary Sebek, who has been advocating on
behalf of the Woodland Park Zoo elephants
with her two daughters since 2007, sees the
legal system as the best chance these animals
have. “When we  raised  concerns about the
elephants’ environment with the zoo’s CEO in What You Can Do
early 2009,  she completely dismissed us,” she
says. “When we asked to meet with her, she Please add your name to our
didn’t respond. So I knew it would take some- online petition, which asks the
thing more to help the elephants,  and that City of Seattle to stop funding
was a lawsuit.” the Woodland Park Zoo’s
As scientists’ understanding of elephants cruel elephant exhibit. Visit
and their needs has developed over the last few www.aldf.org/zoo_abuse for
decades, it’s become clear that confining them details!
to zoos and circuses is simply inhumane in
almost every situation. One option for captive
pachyderms has been to allow them to retire to
a natural-habitat refuge such as the Elephant
Sanctuary in Tennessee, where these highly
intelligent, sensitive, social animals live out
their remaining years under special care amid
thousands of acres of protected environments.
Confined to facilities that are woefully
inadequate for their needs, Bamboo, Chai and
Watoto continue to suffer physically and psy-
chologically at the Woodland Park Zoo. ALDF,
along with plaintiffs Nancy Farnam and Mary
Sebek, hope that a successful lawsuit will
mean that the City of Seattle ceases to fund
the cruelty on display. One need only witness
the repeated movements of Chai, constantly
rocking back and forth from stress, to realize
that these animals are suffering and do not
belong in captivity.
 Sea Turtles
continued from page 1
from beneath oil slicks because they are visual-
ly similar to the long mats of sargassum sea-
6
weed they instinctively seek for food and cam-
PAGE ouflage. As BP’s cleanup vessels corralled large
oil patches for burning, doomed sea turtles
caught in the mess likely had no way to escape
the crude oil as it was set ablaze. BP contrac-
tors preparing burn-off measures even blocked
the efforts of wildlife rescuers struggling to
save the turtles.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund, along with
the Animal Welfare Institute, the Center for
Biological Diversity and Turtle Island Restoration
Network, took legal action against BP, filing a suit
in US federal court that charged the oil giant with
violating the Endangered Species Act and the
terms of its lease with the United States govern-
ment for the Deepwater Horizon facility, which
requires BP to comply with all federal environ-
mental laws. In addition, the temporary restrain-
ing order we sought demanded an immediate
halt to any burns without sufficient precaution-
ary measures to protect the turtles.
“As the news about the oil spill spread, we
became increasingly alarmed about the impact
that this disaster is having not only on endan-
gered species, but on all of the many and varied
creatures who live in the Gulf,” explains ALDF
founder Joyce Tischler. “The media seemed
focused on the impact on the local residents,
the fishing and shrimp industries and the envi-
ronment, but no one seemed focused on the
plight of the animals. BP has desecrated their
home and food sources and robbed them of a
healthful, natural environment. We will proba-
Amber Schonbrun, Katie bly never know the full number of marine
Galanes, and Julianne creatures who die or are permanently impacted
Zagrans from the John because of this catastrophe.”
Marshall Law School BP has already likely killed or otherwise
SALDF chapter harmed hundreds of rare Kemp’s Ridley,
Student Standouts
Last fall at law schools across the country,
Student Animal Legal Defense Fund
(SALDF) chapters channeled their creative
energy toward seeing which chapter could
raise the most funds for ALDF. The winning
chapter was the John Marshall Law School in Chicago, where animal law stu-
dents sold baked goods and goody bags for dogs and cats. “Also, our SALDF
chapter put on a Thanksgiving Donations Drive, where we gathered items for
local shelters along with monetary donations that went to ALDF,” says Katie
C. Galanes, SALDF chapter president. ALDF founder Joyce Tischler traveled
to John Marshall to thank the SALDF members and give an inspiring talk on
how the field of animal law has developed over the decades.
Our sincere appreciation to all the SALDF chapters—you are the future of ani-
mal law! For more information about SALDF, please visit www.saldf.org.
leatherback, loggerhead and other species of
sea turtles through its use of controlled burns
or as a result of contamination from the oil
spill itself. “We are concerned, not only about
the five species of endangered turtles and the
potential for their total extinction, but also
for the individual turtles—their suffering and
their lives are important,” adds Tischler.
“Throughout the process of dealing with this
oil spill, the interests and protection of the
animals must be considered.”
Tischler is also alarmed by another aspect of
the cleanup effort. “To add insult to injury,” she
says, “BP also used unprecedented amounts of
dispersants that may be causing significant addi-
tional harm to all of these living beings.”
Chemical dispersants are sprayed from aircraft
and break up the oil into tiny drops, making the
oil more water soluble. But even if, as BP claims,
the chemicals are not dangerous, by converting
the thick sludge into droplets, dispersants make
the oil less visible, thus masking the full environ-
mental impact of the spill and helping to limit
the company’s legal and financial liability.
Tischler is among those who believe the unprec-
edented amount of chemicals being applied to
the Gulf is reckless at best. “The use of these
toxic dispersants may prove to be one of the
worst decisions ever made,” she says.
The good news is that as a result of our lawsuit,
BP and the U.S. government agreed to work with
biologists, animal advocates and the rescue com-
munity to ensure that turtles and other marine
animals are safely removed from the burn sites
before any future burns are carried out. In the
meantime, ALDF has filed the 60-day advance
notice that is necessary to bring suit under the
Endangered Species Act, in case we should have to
sue again. Stay tuned, as ALDF is also exploring
other needs for wildlife protection in the Gulf in
the wake of this catastrophe.
Kangaroos
continued from page 8
Report on Kangaroo Harvesting.” This report
concludes, “The realities of the kangaroo
industry: extensive and alarmingly unhygienic
practices, unacceptable suffering of young kan-
garoos and the manufacture of false hope that
kangaroo harvesting will alleviate environmen-
tal degradation in rural areas.” 
The hunting of kangaroos is an outrage
and should be stopped. If you want to learn
more about the plight of kangaroos in
Australia and what you can do to help, please
check out the Voiceless website at www.voice-
less.org.au.
Read more of Joyce’s reports from Australia at
www.aldf.org/blog.
 ➤ALDF v. Keating is filed, ultimately
securing permanent custody of seven
horses rescued from abusive North
2009 Highlights
Carolina owners who allowed them
to starve nearly to death. ➤ALDF submits an amicus curiae brief
➤ALDF intervenes in a meat industry lawsuit that in U.S. v. Stevens, urging the U.S.

7
sought to overturn a California ban on using sick Supreme Court to recognize that the

and disabled animals in the food supply.
➤ALDF’s first annual National Justice
for Animals Week honors prosecutors
and law enforcement who go above
and beyond for animals.
➤A Nebraska man is sentenced to jail
after kicking Max the kitten down the
stairs. ALDF assists County Attorney
PAGE
prevention of cruelty to animals is a
compelling government interest.
➤After ALDF assists with forensic testing
on dead Chihuahuas found in his home,
a hoarder in Dearborn, Michigan is
charged with cruelty to animals.
➤ALDF and partners launch a series
ANNUAL
of symposia designed to help implement

’09

report
Tiffany Wasserburger with the legal the National Research Council’s recommendation
challenge of preventing Max from that the country move toward more humane, effi-
being returned to his abuser’s home and cient, and effective non-animal toxicity testing.
allowing him to be adopted by a loving new family. ➤ALDF represents a disabled California
➤Oregon authorities seize a puppy woman filing a complaint against
named Sierra from a man who beat the owners of a mobile home
her regularly. ALDF attorneys place park who are attempting
a lien on the dog for the cost of to evict her after nine-
helping her recover from her mul- teen years of residence
tiple fractures so that she can be perma- because her therapy dog Manny
nently adopted into a safe new home. is not an approved breed.
➤After ALDF ranked New Brunswick ➤A settlement in
as one of the “best places in Canada to ALDF’s lawsuit
be an animal abuser,” the New against Estill
Brunswick Legislative Assembly County, Kentucky
unanimously approve a new law means critical shel-
making that province’s maximum fine ter improvements for the
for animal abuse the highest in Canada. county’s homeless animals.

Financial report – 2009

A copy of ALDF’s full audited financial statement may be obtained by writing to ALDF or visiting aldf.org.

CURRENT ASSETS SUPPORT AND REVENUE

Cash and cash equivalents $1,036,065 Donations $2,509,146
Investments 2,793,189 Foundations and estates 841,136
Accounts and grants receivable 760,990 Interest and dividends 53,479
Prepaid expenses and other current assets 183,433 Realized gains on investments    1,957
Total Current Assets $4,773,677
Net assets released from restriction 650,782
NONCURRENT ASSETS Other 91,765
Property and Equipment, net $918,953 Total Support and Revenue $4,148,265
Total Noncurrent Assets $918,953
$5,692,630 EXPENSES
LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS Programs:
Current liabilities: Legal $2,480,836
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $207,092 Public Education 936,062
Accrued payroll liabilities 95,434 Administration 183,179
Mortgage payable—current portion 10,042 Membership development 523,851
Total Current Liabilities $312,568
Long-Term Liabilities: Total Expenses $4,123,928
Mortgage payable—noncurrent portion 625,435
Total Liabilities $938,003 Increase in unrestricted net assets 24,337
Net assets: Decrease in temporarily restricted net assets (354,782)
Unrestricted 3,982,603 Unrealized gains on investments, net 717,341
Temporarily restricted 772,024 Increase in net assets 386,896
Total Net Assets $4,754,627 Net assets at beginning of year 4,367,731
$5,692,630 Net assets at end of year $4,754,627
 Nonprofit Org.
U.S. Postage
Paid
Tucson, AZ
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170 E. COTATI AVE.

COTATI, CA 94931
www.aldf.org

printed on recycled paper

I N SIDE Kangaroos in Peril

Joyce Reports from Australia
This August, ALDF Founder & General Counsel Joyce Tischler
toured Australia with the Australian animal protection institute
Voiceless for their 2010 Animal Law Lecture Series. Joyce reported
from her travels; in one blog entry, she shared some of what she
learned about the plight of kangaroos in Australia.

6
As I travel through Australia, I am meeting many fascinating and
John Marshall knowledgeable people. Marilyn Mills, of Wildlife Advocate, Inc.,
Law School SALDF runs a sanctuary for kangaroos and described several of the kanga-
Standouts roos who have become treasured members of her extended family.
She told me of their intelligence and sweet natures and lovingly
showed me photos of some of her favorite kangaroo friends.

’09
The commercial hunting of Australia’s beloved national icon,
ANNUAL
report

the kangaroo, is an embarrassing and cruel chapter in this country’s current history. Adult kanga-
roos are killed to be eaten by humans (also for pet food) and their skins are made into soccer shoes
and other products. Kangaroo hunting is carried out at night in the rural areas where kangaroos
are found. The quota for 2009 was 4 million kangaroos. Mother kangaroos commonly care for two
kangaroo children (called “joeys”) at once: a baby who is in her pouch and an older joey who trav-
els alongside the mother. Joeys stay with their mothers for up to two years. By law, the adult kanga-

7
roos are supposed to be shot in the brain, but even the most experienced hunters miss a clean shot
pretty regularly, leaving wounded kangaroos to die slowly and painfully. Additionally, when moth-
ALDF’s er kangaroos are shot, the law requires that hunters club the joey to death; they are considered
2009 Annual “collateral damage.” Each year, 440,000 joeys are clubbed to death with steel pipes.
Report I also spoke with kangaroo expert, Dr. Dror Ben-Ami, PhD, the author of “A Shot in the Dark, A
continued on page 6