NATURE “KANGAROO MOB” Exclusive content and streaming episodes
available at pbs.org/nature In the past 50 years, the eastern
gray kangaroo population around Canberra, Australia’s capital
city, has exploded from a few hundred to tens of thousands.
Forced from the surrounding drought-stricken hills, hungry
kangaroos have done their best to adapt to city life, dining on
city parks and suburban lawns— though they do pay a price for
their meals. Each year, thousands of kangaroos lose their lives
in collisions with cars on busy roads, causing injuries and
property damage of more than a million dollars in the process.
Overgrazing by large numbers of kangaroos has also created
stress on the environment they have overrun. It’s all led to a
government policy of culling, and an emotional public dispute
between those who support reducing kangaroo numbers and those
who are appalled at the prospect of killing this famous and
beloved Australian icon. Can they be relocated, or can their
numbers be controlled through forced c