Viva! campaigners will be dressed as kangaroos and holding banners saying “Walkabout Wildlife Killers” and “Kangaroo - no thank you!” outside Portsmouth’s new Walkabout Pub, Guildhall Walk, on its opening day - Friday 15th June - at 12.30pm. The protesters will hand out flyers and ask people to sign protest letters showing their opposition to the sale of ‘exotic’ meats.

Walkabouts decision to serve kangaroo, crocodile steaks and emu burgers has angered many people including the vegetarian organisation Viva! who have been running a campaign against the sale of 'exotic' meats in this country over the past five years. Viva!’s director Juliet Gellatley has been invited to Australia this summer to spearhead Australia’s campaign against the ever increasing number of kangaroos slaughtered for meat. Viva!’s campaign against ‘exotic’ meats has already resulted in all the major supermarkets and numerous restaurants pulling out of the trade.

"Kangaroos are shot in the wild by marksmen who have no proven ability to kill cleanly and swiftly," says Viva! Campaigner Kat Koukourakis. "We have footage from Australia showing animals being shot through the neck or throat. Bleeding but still conscious, a hind leg is then sliced open and a hook pushed through the gash. The animals are hung up until their life-blood drains out of them. As for the unwanted joeys, they are stamped on, smashed against the wheel brace or left to die of starvation in the bush. The industry is indescribably cruel and completely unnecessary."

According to Dr Ian Gunn from the Animal Gene Storage & Resource Centre of Australia, his country's wildlife record is the worst in the world. Six kangaroo species have already become extinct and 17 are classed as endangered or vulnerable. The nine remaining abundant species are being killed in their millions each year.

For farmed emus and crocodiles the future looks just as bleak. Stress, stereotypic behavior and physical problems are rife. Crocodiles are purposefully crammed into small areas because research has shown that when overcrowded crocodiles recognise the futility of fighting for space. Emus never come to terms with their confinement and the stress of it can lead the birds to starve themselves to death. Skeletomuscular problems and stomach impactions from ingesting inedible matter are also common.

"We have no hesitation in condemning the peddling of such misery" states Ms Koukourakis "and we know from our campaigns that the British public feel just as strongly. With 75 per cent of the world's species in decline or facing extinction it is essential we bring an end to the sale of all 'exotic' meats and encourage a morality in retailing. The Walkabout Inn must know that their trade in wildlife is simply unacceptable."