Having virtually killed off the UK trade in kangaroo meat, Viva! has now turned its attention to the use of kangaroo leather for football boots. The campaign to persuade manufacturers to dump ‘roo leather was kicked off last month with articles in British newspapers - Soccer stars ‘are murdering skippy’, said the Daily Star, revealing that David Owen and Fabien Bartez wear kangaroo leather boots. The Mail on Sunday lead with: The slaughter of kangaroos that puts a spring in Beckham’s step.

Ms Gellatley, a zoologist, said: “Australia has the worst record in the world for wildlife. It is sacrificing its natural heritage for the short term interests of a voracious killing industry. This gung ho attitude is a diversion from the real threat to Australia’s environment - the ravages of 160 million sheep and cattle which are inexorably turning the outback into desert.

“The kangaroo slaughter can only continue by ignoring the latest science, which destroys the myths that kangaroos are pests and shows them to be an integral part of a complex ecosystem. Australians should be glorying in their wonderful animal life and selling it to the rest of the world not dead but alive, as a unique and profitable wildlife experience. We will pursue this campaign against the skin trade with the same vigour that we used to stop kangaroo meat sales.”

Viva!’s campaign against meat was won by targeting supermarkets individually through demonstrations by more than 300 local Viva! groups across the UK. Similar techniques will be used against football boot manufacturers, with specially produced leaflets, photocalls and demonstrations outside football grounds and sports shops during national days of action. The theme will be ‘Kick Cruelty Out of Football - Boycott Kangaroo Boots’. The campaign will be extended to some of the kangaroo industry’s main overseas markets such as South Africa.