Kangaroo campaigners take aim at MotoGP leathers

WILDLIFE campaigners want kangaroo leather banned from motorcycle racing and will make their case at Phillip Island’s final MotoGP this weekend.

Advocacy group Kangaroos Alive and Italian animal protection organisation LAV will campaign trackside and in the Cowes town centre on Saturday October 24, bringing their “Ride Smart. Go K-Free!” campaign to Australia on World Kangaroo Day.

This year’s Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island, running from Friday October 23 to Sunday October 25, is the last before the event moves to Adelaide in 2027.

The campaigners say nearly nine in 10 of the world’s top riders still race in kangaroo leather suits, and they want leading manufacturers including Alpinestars and Dainese to switch to animal-free materials by 2027.

“What riders wear for protection costs a kangaroo its life,” Australian cricket great and World Kangaroo Day ambassador Jason “Dizzy” Gillespie said.

“Kangaroos are shot at night as part of a brutal unmonitored and unregulated industry.

“Some are mis-shot and then repeatedly shot, while others escape with terrible injuries.

“Females are killed with joeys in their pouches.

“Those joeys are bludgeoned to death or left to starve.

“At least 400,000 joeys die this way every year.”

Kangaroos Alive campaign manager Mary Morrison said the industry could adopt alternatives without compromising rider safety.

“The International Motorcycling Federation already allows non-animal alternatives to be worn, and synthetic suits pass the same safety tests,” Ms Morrison said.

“Non-animal derived suits are already accepted in MotoGP rules and have passed rigorous safety certifications.”

Ms Morrison will travel to Phillip Island with LAV activists from Italy who have already taken the campaign to MotoGP rounds in Europe.

The international push launched at the Italian MotoGP at Mugello in Tuscany earlier this year before moving on to the San Marino Grand Prix at Misano, and has the backing of former 250cc world champion Marco Melandri.

It is part of a wider shift away from kangaroo skin by major sporting and fashion brands, with Adidas, Nike, Puma, Gucci and Versace all having stopped using kangaroo leather.

More than 80 scientists, academics and animal protection organisations around the world have also signed a Global Declaration of the Kangaroo Welfare Crisis, which calls for an immediate end to commercial kangaroo killing.

“Kangaroos have been a crucial part of this landscape for 20 million years and are essential to Australian biodiversity,” Mr Gillespie said.

“Kangaroo grazing keeps grasslands healthy and supports many other native plants and animals.

“They are Australia’s national icon, and we should treat them with respect.”

Kangaroos Alive created World Kangaroo Day in 2020, with demonstrations and community events planned across Australia on the day to call for an end to the commercial killing of kangaroos.

Co-founder Mick McIntyre said family-friendly walks and talks would give people the chance to learn about the behaviour and habitats of kangaroos and their importance to First Nations peoples.

“We’re inviting community groups, schools and everyday people to get involved by organising or attending a local event to learn more about this ancient and sacred animal, and why it deserves protection and respect,” Mr McIntyre said.