![A new survey found majority of Australian's feel that kangaroos should be protected, and a Cape Schanck farmer has adapted to live with the animals. A new survey found majority of Australian's feel that kangaroos should be protected, and a Cape Schanck farmer has adapted to live with the animals.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/207991617/4d654f2e-46fc-4561-8421-078b00e6df0f.JPG/r0_0_3456_5184_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Kangaroos and farmers have long had a complicated relationship, but in light of World Kangaroo on October 25, recent data found the majority of Australians believe the animal should be protected.
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The national poll by Pure Profile found 98 per cent of Australians surveyed considered kangaroos a crucial part of the Australian ecosystem to protect.
Kangaroos Alive co-founder Mick McIntyre said the survey showed most Australians wanted the killing of kangaroos to stop.
"Australia has taken a stance against killing of wild elephants for the sales of ivory and hunting of wild whales for the sales of meat and other body parts and we now turn our attention to our own backyard," Mr McINtyre said.
"Every year, approximately two million kangaroos fall victim to commercial slaughter for their skins and meat, which find their way into high-end soccer shoes, pet food, motorbike suits, specialty game meat, and more."
![Cape Schanck mixed farmer, Simone Watts. Picture supplied Cape Schanck mixed farmer, Simone Watts. Picture supplied](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/207991617/6f33078d-2cd6-4f1c-85e1-ace82dca374b_rotated_270.jpeg/r0_0_1424_2136_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Simone Watts is a mixed-operation farmer in Cape Schanck runs two acres of market garden managed by independent farms who grow various vegetables and over 800 mature orchard trees surrounded by native vegetation and cattle.
Ms Watts said in drier seasons their grazing area was the most impacted, but by working with the kangaroos and understanding their behaviour and utilising regenerative practices to improve soil health and grow healthier grass meant there was less competition between the kangaroos and cattle for feed.
"It's my opinion that this competition and this blame of kangaroos eating the grass, it actually needs to fall back on the farmer and their practices," she said.
"The fact that the grasses are not growing is because they've had decades, and centuries of colonial practices whereby they're completely destroying the health of the soil and not growing healthy grass."
![Part of the orchard in Cape Schanck that kangaroos have helped to keep the grass down on. Picture by Holly McGuinness Part of the orchard in Cape Schanck that kangaroos have helped to keep the grass down on. Picture by Holly McGuinness](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/207991617/494cc96b-b75c-4cfd-b3b7-7239dab0ddc7.jpg/r0_70_3962_2298_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
When Ms Watts took over the land, she said the typically sandy soil had been eroded from decades of traditional cattle grazing, but upon taking up more regenerative agriculture practices they were able to revive it.
"Moving the cattle more frequently has certainly helped get more manure back into the ground and give the paddocks more resting time," she said.
"But the biggest change here has been that sowing of multi-species and ensuring we have a more diverse amount of grasses in the soil has helped."
For the market garden spaces, she found kangaroos preferred native plants over domesticated market garden crops, however they did love the occasional pea and brassica, so Ms Watts planned to adapt a "sacrificial crop" in the future to deter them from the main produce.
"Like anything having connection to country and your environment, and watching particular animals rather than pointing the finger and blaming them," she said.
The poll came out in line with World Kangaroo Day, which this year the theme is coexisting with kangaroos, which Ms Watts agreed that was key, to looking at how farmers can work with kangaroos rather than try to manage them.
"So I think it's a mindset shift and more so than a practical shift, and that goes back to watching their behaviour," she said.
"See what they do on a day to day basis and how you can work better with them to not impact their life too much, and not impact yours and try to appreciate what they're giving back as well.
"Whether that be keeping grasses down, and for us in the orchard it means a couple of hours less on the John Deere."