Central Coast congressman wants to ban U.S. sale of kangaroo body parts. This is why
Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, is known for his robust constituent service, and now it appears he is branching out to help wildlife as well.
The Central Coast congressman has introduced the Kangaroo Protection Act, which would ban the sale of kangaroo body parts in the United States. The practice is already banned in California.
The kangaroo skins are used to make soccer cleats, by companies such as Nike and Puma.
“Commercial shooters kill roughly 2 million wild kangaroos a year to profit from the trade in their skins, despite the availability of alternative fabrics that are of similar or better quality,” Carbajal said in a statement. “California has already banned the sale of kangaroo products, but enforcement is lacking, and American shoemakers continue to engage in the cruel practice of kangaroo trafficking.”
Carbajal has been working with animal welfare organizations during the past year to bring the bill forward. He co-wrote a letter late last year in which he called on California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to enforce the ban in the state, and is now looking to stop the practice nationwide.
“The iconic kangaroos and koalas were just a fraction of the millions of animal victims that were affected by what has been described as one of Australia’s worst bushfire seasons on record,” Carbaral wrote. “We’ve seen the terrifying effects of life-threatening, community-destroying wildfire in our state on people, habitats and animals, yet we’ve never experienced anything on the scale that Australia did. This conflagration has only added to the extraordinary human pressures on kangaroos.”
Carbajal said that every year Australia permits, mainly for export markets, the killing of upwards of 2 million kangaroos.
In the 2020 letter to Becerra, Carbajal said the issue matters now.
“With the 2026 FIFA World Cup being co-hosted by the United States, and the Rose Bowl scheduled to host games within our state, this is an opportune time to begin enforcement of the ban on kangaroo skin cleats, as it will give businesses sufficient time to purge their inventory of these banned products,” Carbajal wrote. “These companies have touted their sustainability goals and their commitment to the environment, and it is alarming that they still choose to be associated with this form of wildlife trafficking.”
A spokesman for Carbajal said animal rights and health is of utmost concern to Carbajal, noting his recent letter urging the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to protect the rapidly declining monarch butterfly population.
A spokesman said Carbajal’s top priority at the moment is delivering COVID-19 relief.
The resolution is also an example of Carbajal’s efforts to work on bipartisan issues.
“Kangaroos are victims of the largest commercial slaughter of land-based wildlife in the world,” Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Penn, said in a news release from the Center for a Humane Economy. “As a member of the bipartisan Congressional Animal Protection Caucus and an outspoken defender of animals, I will continue to be committed to ensuring that our government is doing everything in its power to promote and protect animal welfare. Our bipartisan Kangaroo Protection Act of 2021 will make it illegal to exploit kangaroos in the United States and ensure that penalties are imposed for violations. I am proud to join my colleague Rep. Carbajal in this fight.”
Carbajal, a three-term California congressman, won re-election in 2020. He represents California’s 24th congressional district, which encompasses San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties as well as part of northern Ventura County.