Thirty-three-year old zoologist Juliet Gellatley leaves for Australia on March 11 to carry the campaign directly to Australians. President of the Australian Game Meat Producers Association has told the Sydney Sun Herald: "We will be right at the airport with buckets of green paint to meet her." And Dubbo farmer Mike Wilson is campaigning to have the Department of Immigration refuse her entry "on the basis of the damage she could cause to Australian agriculture," according to The Land newspaper.

Viva!'s UK campaign against kangaroo and other exotic meats was spearheaded with posters showing a dying baby 'joey' with the words Four million reasons not to eat kangaroo meat. It resulted in Tesco, Somerfield and Booker cash and carry pulling out of the trade. The 1.5 million readership BBC Good Food magazine described it as 1997's 'most vocal food campaign'. It also became big news in Australia.

"The brutal destruction of millions of kangaroos is now a major story and I have been demonised by the Australian meat industry because profits have dropped", explains Ms Gellatley. "They are determined to exploit every wild creature in the country but, with one exception, we have closed off their UK national outlets. Sainsburys alone continue to sell kangaroo, emu, ostrich and crocodile meat. And pretty soon it will be flying foxes, bandicoots and crispy fried possum. This assault on wildlife is indefensible."

Ms Gellatley will be conducting media interviews and public talks in Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra and a special press conference has been arranged at the Federal House of Parliament to be hosted by Democrat Senator Andrew Bartlett.

"Why am I telling Australians what to do?" asks Ms Gellatley. "Because cruelty and environmental destruction are international. It isn't the kangaroos who are inexorably turning Australia into desert but millions of alien cattle and sheep grown for overseas markets. We're all involved - which is why I accepted the invitation of Australian groups. This campaign is a great example of successful international co-operation."

Because of the intense interest, Ms Gellatley will also be launching her controversial book, The Silent Ark, in Australia (Thorsons £6.99). First serialised in The Times, it is subtitled: A chilling expose of meat - the global killer. Aussie butchers will love that!