The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) has slaughtered 800 kangaroos and many joeys at Googong Dam, outside Canberra despite international outrage - and are now looking to possibly extend the bloodshed. They accused the kangaroos of contaminating the water supply, but refused to carry out non-lethal solutions like building a fence around the dam. Animal rights activists had been at the dam each night to stop the massacre by creating a human shield. They managed to seriously disrupt the shooting, but were unable to prevent the eventual slaughter.

The shooters had been instructed to shoot female kangaroos in order to reduce the population. At this time of year female kangaroos have baby ‘joeys’ in their pouch - so for each female killed a joey is also killed. Joeys are killed either by decapitation or by being bludgeoned to death.

Incredibly, Googong Dam is a wildlife refuge and has been used by local wildlife carers as a release area for kangaroos they have hand reared. It is heart breaking for the carers who have spent months or years rearing joeys to now have them shot. A local wildlife group has asked the ACT Government if they could take the joeys that are orphaned when their mothers are shot. The Government refused the offer initially, but relented after public pressure was put on them - 15 joeys were saved, it is not known how many were butchered before hand.

Unlike the millions of kangaroos that are shot every year in Australia for their meat and skins, the massacre at Googong happened under the glare of the world’s media. Unbelievably, Australia promotes itself using the image of a kangaroo – whilst in the ultimate betrayal clubbing and blasting them off the face of the earth. We know that Australia is extremely sensitive to criticism from overseas, and there is already concern that tourism to Canberra could be negatively affected.

ACT has revealed that more kangaroo 'culls' are possible. Unbelievably they are considering slaughtering even more of their national icon at a nature reserve, Tidbinbilla, south of Canberra, and at Gudgenby.

Please send the following email (or even better adapt it or write your own!) to Jon Stanhope, the Minister responsible for this brutal massacre of kangaroos. You can email him here: stanhope@act.gov.au. Please also send a copy to Mr Stanhope's political opponents: Ms Roslyn Dundas Party: Australian Democrats (Chair of the Planning and Environment Committee) dundas@act.gov.au; Mrs Helen Cross Party: Independent cross@act.gov.au ; Mrs Vicki Dunne Party: Liberal Party dunne@act.gov.au. Also, please send a copy to Joe Hockey, the Minister for Tourism. You can email him here: joe.hockey.MP@aph.gov.au

Find out more about the massacre in Viva’s latest press release

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"As a British citizen I am horrified to read about the barbaric massacre of kangaroos at Googong Dam wildlife ‘refuge’, outside Canberra - and I find it unbelievable that ACT is considering extending the butchery to other nature reserves.

As someone who has considered visiting Australia, my view of your country is rapidly worsening. I am especially horrified to learn that the largest massacre of land animals on the planet takes place in Australia each year when millions of adult kangaroos are shot for their meat and skins. Millions of orphaned baby joeys, "worthless" to the industry, are shot, clubbed over the head, decapitated or abandoned to die. This is no different to clubbing baby seals to death – and it should have no place in a civilised country. It is difficult to believe that Australia promotes itself using the image of a kangaroo – whilst in the ultimate betrayal clubbing and blasting them off the face of the earth.

I understand that what happened in Googong Dam happens every day in Australia hidden away in the outback, only this time it’s happening in front of the world’s media.

Please work towards finding a non-lethal solution to the current situation. Surely the building of a fence around your water supplies would be much cheaper option, as opposed to the huge amount of tourist revenue you are certainly going to loose."

For more information on the fight to end the slaughter in Canberra visit www.kangarooslaughter.com