Tourism bosses in Australia deny they are nervous about publicity over kangaroo culling, even though it is getting widespread coverage overseas.
It has been a bad July for kangaroos, which have traditionally been seen as a friendly symbol for Australia.
Animal rights activists have been protesting at the cull of 1100 roos
which have been threatening a major water supply near Canberra. In turn, the roos have been acting ferally towards women and dogs.
Canberra woman Christine Canham reported how a kangaroo drowned one of four dogs she was walking. It attacked the dog in a pond, holding it under the water with its hind legs.
"It was surreal, like your worst nightmare," said Ms Canham. "The kangaroo just stared back at us. I will never forget that."
Another woman was scratched on her side when her small pet dog went close to a kangaroo, which lashed out.
It seems the drought in the Canberra region has brought out a nasty streak in Eastern Grey kangaroos, which can grow 1.7m tall and weigh 70kg. They have moved out of the parched bush to look for grass and water.
The ACT Government hired shooters to cull the roos to stop them eating vegetation surrounding the Googong Dam. The remaining dusty soil has been eroding into the dam and tainting dwindling water supplies.
But protesters have disrupted the cull several times, saying fencing the water supply would be a more logical answer to problems at the dam.
"Kangaroos have been managing their own populations for thousands of years - they don't need to be massacred for us," said protest spokeswoman Simone Gray.
The protesters have had a victory of sorts, with the ACT Government deciding baby kangaroos would no longer be killed. Contractors have been told to shoot female kangaroos, but to give joeys to NSW Wildlife to look after.
Federal Tourism Minister Joe Hockey said there was no evidence kangaroo culling was affecting international tourism.
But the Canberra Times said an internet search revealed reports in more than 40 countries on the cull.
- NZPA
