US lawmakers have moved to block the sale of kangaroo-sourced products, while activist groups are now calling on Nike to discontinue its use of Kangaroo materials.
Last week New Jersey Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean, Jr., R-21st, and Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, D-37th, introduced S3774, the Kangaroo Protection Act, to block the sale of kangaroo-sourced products, with an Assembly bill now set to follow.
The Center for a Humane Economy in the Portland, meanwhile, has launched billboards with the words “Nike profits. Kangaroos die.”
“No other consumer product comes from such a massive, ruthless and merciless slaughter of native wildlife,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of both the Center.
“Until Nike announces that it will stop sourcing kangaroo skins for its athletic shoes, there will be growing efforts by lawmakers and consumers to shut down the trade.”
The Center for a Humane Economy also wrote a letter to Nike CEO John Donahoe, urging the company to reconsider its stance on kangaroo leather, labeling it “an archaic and inhumane practice”.
In Australia, Mark Pearson from the Animal Justice Party in NSW is also calling on Nike to join the conversation.
“Australians who love our national icon are gratified that this global discussion over the kangaroo slaughter is taking place,” said, Mark Pearson, a Member of New South Wales Parliament. “But we’d like to hear directly from Nike CEO John Donahoe about his plans for continuing or curtailing Nike’s role in this cruel industry.”
Nike outlines its policy on kangaroo leather on its website, saying: “Kangaroos – If wild caught, must be sourced from actively managed populations with government agency oversight.”
Image: Twitter
