Kangatarianism is on the rise for the eco-conscious, writes Tayissa Barone. 
 
 There's a new semi-vegetarian wave emerging in Australia: people who exclude all meat except kangaroo on environmental, ecological and humanitarian grounds. They call themselves kangatarians and are slowly growing in numbers. 
 
 Samantha Vine, 32, classifies herself as a kangatarian, making the choice to only eat kangaroo meat after years of being a vegetarian. 
 
 She made the decision 10 years ago while studying ecology at the University of Sydney. Her lecturer was a kangaroo meat advocate and introduced her to eating a meat he claimed was better for the environment than bred livestock. 
 
 ''It's not worth the pleasure of eating meat if it hasn't been treated well, I don't want to be part of that,'' Vine says. 
 
 ''To eat something that's killed humanely, that's better for the environment, is a positive.'' 
 
 The low level of greenhouse gas emissions produced by kangaroos, and the fact they require no additional feed, water or land cleared for them, make them an obvious choice for the ecologically conscious. 
 
 A lecturer in natural resource management at the University of Sydney, Peter Ampt, believes many environmentally aware Australians are turning to kangaroo meat because they see it, essentially, as living a natural life. 
 
 Ampt says it is the ultimate in free-range, organic meat. 
 
 ''The animals dies instantly, without the knowledge of what's going to happen and there are no drugs used in its production,'' Ampt says. 
 
 Kangaroo is often described as the animal of choice for those who exclusively eat organic meat. 
 
 A project officer at the University of Sydney, Sarah Doornbos, says she has made an educated decision to make a good percentage of the organic meat she eats kangaroo. 
 
 ''In the Australian environment, I feel it's the thing to do,'' she says. ''They are less destructive on the land than something like cattle.'' 
 
 The industry has struggled with misconceptions about the meat since 1993, when it became legal to sell for human consumption in NSW. There is still a belief kangaroo is farmed, for example, which is not true. There is no shortage of cut choices with strip loin, rump, diced kangaroo, tail, shanks, racks, mince and sausages. 
 
 The kanga banga, or kangaroo sausage, is becoming a favourite on barbecues according to the owner of Sam the Butcher, Sam Diasino. 
 
 Diasino sold out of his signature sausages - spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and tomatoes - in the lead-up to Australia Day. 
 
 ''We've had a growth in types of meat that have a bit of stigma attached to them, ones which people are curious about,'' he says. ''Kangaroo is a very healthy meat and we place a huge healthy slant on the way we sell it.'' 
 
 Vine's kangatarian lifestyle choice has rubbed off on her friends, with many of them now eating kangaroo regularly. 
 
 ''Once I started I couldn't get enough,'' she says. 
 
 ''After being vegetarian for so long, after a certain amount of time I craved some meat.'' 
 
 She still has to explain to people what a kangatarian is but a rise in awareness of organic meats might soon make it a little easier. 

 The small but dedicated group originally shunned all meat on ethical and environmental grounds, opposing the way domestic livestock was kept and killed, as well as the impact that large-scale farming had on the planet. 
 
 Then, about 12 months ago, one group of friends in Sydney learned about the benefits of kangaroo meat, and decided to spread the word. 
 
 Peter Ampt, a lecturer in natural resource management at the University of Sydney and a kangaroo meat advocate, said that while some vegetarians loved red meat, they could not justify eating animals that had been poorly treated. 
 
 Kangaroos were fair game because they roamed free and were killed humanely with a single shot to the head. The animals were also in plentiful supply, ate only native vegetation and contained no chemicals, he said. 
 
 "These people were vegetarians for environmental and ethical reasons, but the more they learned about kangaroo the more they realised it satisfied their ethical and environmental concerns," Mr Ampt said. 
 
 "They started eating kangaroo and loved it, then they coined the phrase kangatarians, it was a bit of a joke initially." 
 
 Kangaroos emit a fraction of the methane produced by sheep and cows, making them a much better choice for the climate-change conscious, Mr Ampt said. 
 
 He said it was not clear how many Australians classed themselves as kangatarians, but that the movement was "growing slowly". 
 
 "I have done research into consumer attitudes in Australia and found that about 20 per cent of the population eat kangaroo meat regularly. 
 
 "They have sought it out as a meat that is ethically produced in the sense that kangaroos aren't battery farmed or penned up like pigs in small stys or industrially farmed. 
 
 "They think animals should have a relatively natural life, although they are not necessarily against animals being killed for human consumption." 
 
 Kangaroo meat was also a healthy option, he said. Low in fat, it is good for the heart and for people trying to lower their cholesterol. 
 
 However, the majority of Australians have yet to embrace the idea of eating an animal that appears on their coat of arms. 
 
 Mr Ampt admitted there were many challenges facing the kangaroo meat industry in Australia. 
 
 In 2008 the country's then chief adviser on climate change said Australians should swap eating lamb for kangaroo because it was far better for the environment, but his call was largely ignored. The meat remains a boutique product sold in specialist butcher shops and at select restaurants.
– Some Australian vegetarians have embraced the “ethical and environmental” acceptability of kangaroo meat and are now “kangatarians.” The name was “a bit of a joke initially,” an advocate tells the Telegraph, but the phenomenon is real. Kangaroos run wild, eat naturally, are killed humanely, and emit far less methane than cows. So, eat up! “These people were vegetarians for environmental and ethical reasons,” the advocate says, “but the more they learned about kangaroo the more they realized it satisfied their ethical and environmental concerns.” That means they’re OK with the preferred method of dispatching a roo: with a single shot to the head. The meat is also low in fat and versatile; one favorite preparation is the "kanga banga," or kangaroo sausage, a butcher tells the Sydney Morning Herald.