Killing for Kicks
by Graham
Kangaroos in Australia have been slaughtered for their skin. These kangaroos have been hunted at night during night excursions. The babies found by the hunters are usually beaten with clubs and killed. The kangaroos skins are then used on things such as soccer cleats.
Miro Odich has owned the Soccer Locker for over three decades and he claims that the best made soccer cleats are the ones that are made out of kangaroo skin.
They are the best in the world. They’re so soft and stretchy and mold to your foot, so you feel the ball. Calf leather is much thicker and rougher.
About 7 million kangaroos are killed each year for leather and pet food and 3 million skins are exported each year. Addias had a law suit filled against them by the animal rights group VIVA requesting that Adidas stop the killing of kangaroos for their cleats. They are arguing because of the way the kangaroos are being slaughtered throughout Australia. The Supreme Court of California has ruled that there will be no more kangaroo cleats sold in the state of California.
What is your opinion on the killing of kangaroos for soccer cleats?
December 9th, 2007 at 9:31 pm
Unbelievable, 7 million kangaroos each year are killed. The sad thing is that kangaroo leather is not used only for soccer cleats. This website(http://www.davidmorgan.com/kangarooskins.html)sells kangaroo leather for uses such as:hat bands, wallets, ties, horse gear, whips, belts, small hand bags and even boots.
December 9th, 2007 at 9:32 pm
I think killing Kangaroos for soccer cleats is crazy. There are so many other things that could be used to make cleats that dont involve killing an animal. Here is a sight about when it was started.
http://cultureofsoccer.com/2007/05/04/yes-that-kangaroo-leather/
December 9th, 2007 at 9:44 pm
Wow good post! This is so unfair! It all goes back to selfishness. All this is is an act of selfishness, we take extreme measures, even to the killing of animals, just to get what we want! Think about it, we are killing hundreds of kangraoos just to have the best soccer cleats. Soccer cleats, that will probably wear out, and we will eventually out grow! Why cant we just use something non living like plastic or rubber or something! I would actually like to see eviedence that these so called “cleats” made out of the kangaroos are really and truely actually better to use and improve your game! Why are they better than any other cleates? What is so special about them?
December 9th, 2007 at 9:58 pm
I think that it is horrible! You should not kill a harmless animal just so you can have a tiny advantage on the soccer field. If it really matters that much than im sure scientists can find similar material from other objects that are not living and they could possibly be just as good if not better than the kangaroo skin. Good job Graham
December 9th, 2007 at 10:07 pm
I have kangaroo cleats, and they are very nice ones. I think the reason people have a problem with the kangaroo cleats is the way they are killed. If they were killed in a more humane way people wouldn’t have a problem with it. I mean you don’t hear people complaining about leather cleats. Cows are probaly killed in a humane way. Think about this for a change.
December 9th, 2007 at 10:56 pm
I have to disagree with you rodger, I dont think its the way they are killed that upsets me, come to think of it i don’t really know how they are killed. What upsets me is that they are killed for a stupid reason, i mean soccer cleats. there are so many other things the cleats could be made out of!
December 9th, 2007 at 11:24 pm
This is absolutely terrible. I mean i know this in australia, but this is basically what we call ANIMAL ABUSE. To make soccer cleats, you do not need kangaroo fur, use something else. And i know for a fact that kangaroos are not the only helpless animals that get slaughtered for human use. This is quite unfortunate. I know we have to kill animals for essential food and other important needs, but we kill way too much in my opinion.
December 10th, 2007 at 7:51 am
Thats horrible. That people are going out and killing all of these Kangaroos just so that they can make money and turn them into something as silly as Kangaroo cleats. What if all of the kangaroos in Australia become extinct then they wont have any more skin to make cleats anyway so why not just stop now why there are still kangaroos still left in Australia.
December 10th, 2007 at 4:36 pm
Lacey, to add to your comment….
It’s not being killed for a stupid reason. Kangaroo leather is the best material soccer cleats can be made of. You get your size small, and then it molds to your foot. Then you can handle the ball better. Are you sad about all the other cows being killed for every other type of cleat?
December 10th, 2007 at 5:28 pm
This is going to sound really bad but I personally have owned three pairs of these cleats over the last 6 years. I realize that killing these animals is terrible but think about it, millions of animals are killed almost everyday for our needs and as long as it’s not a waste what it is the problem? Cleats are usually made from some type of animal hide so why not this animal. It’s not like this animal’s only hunted down for it’s hide, their meat is used for our food as well as dog food. And according to this website http://www.kangaroo-industry.asn.au/recipes/recipe_frame.htm and a few others it’s not uncommon to eat.
December 10th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
I also have to point out most animals aren’t just killed for “no reason”, most are killed for at least one reason whether it’s a good one or not. For example elephants are mostly killed for one thing, their tusks. Their body is left to rot. Minks are killed for their fur, then the bodies are just tossed away. Kangaroo has many uses and I don’t think the use is the problem, it’s the way it’s being done. PS Roger, I love my kangaroo cleats and I agree that plenty more cows are killed for cleats.
December 10th, 2007 at 7:44 pm
This is so sad! It makes you wonder if kangaroos are going to be the next to become endangered. I see the point that maybe the kangaroo skin makes better cleats, but is it necessary to kill THAT many of them? We could easily find substitutes for the kangaroo skins that would not harm animals. If we continue over-killing animals like the kangaroo in order to meet our “needs”, there will soon be no animals left! I hear about animals being killed for stupid reasons, like for shoes. Isn’t a living creature more important than having alligator shoes or a mink coat? Faux fur and skin look just as good, and are not as expensive.
December 10th, 2007 at 8:02 pm
I was talking to my sister, who recently went to Australia, they have kangaroo as a normal meal, just as we would have steak and burgers. She said she even had some. So the kangaroo isn’t just being killed for cleats, it has other uses.
December 10th, 2007 at 9:20 pm
Thats terrible! I’ve played soccer for a long time and have bought many pairs of cleats. I never knew what they made soccer cleats out of though! I think its sad that so many of the species is being killed because of one of our sports. I think that they are being killed way to much and they should be more carefull of the animal!
December 10th, 2007 at 9:22 pm
I don’t think Kangaroos should be killed just to make cleats. Miro Odich sounds very ignorant in saying that it doesn’t matter that they are killed because they make cleats that are a little bit better. Just because we can do something doesn’t mean we should, or have to.
December 10th, 2007 at 9:49 pm
Roger, good point, i think that people are mad about the killing of kangaroos because they never think that they NEED to be killed. People always think that chickens, or cows, or pigs or all the animals we slaughter (inhumanely) are just “those animals that we eat or use all the time”. Really, kangaroos are killed in tiny numbers compared to chickens and other livestock. It is just because we all think kangaroos are so cute and stuff that we get mad when they die. We just arent used to it
December 10th, 2007 at 10:32 pm
I agree with Roger. Why is it bad for kangaroos to be killed but not cows? I know that animals are important but in my opinion soccer has had a much bigger impact on the world than kangaroos have. They are used for many different things. Its not like were treating them like sharks and only using the fins. Most of the kangaroo is being used for a variety of different things.
December 11th, 2007 at 12:02 am
wow i sure do look at my cleats way diffrently now! my mom and dad have gone to australia once and my dad actually did have kangaroo, and they are planning on going back early Janurary. My dad has been there many times before and said that they places were we has gone were they can play around with the animals dont really see killing kangaroo as bad. But why cant other animals be used for cleats…why kangaroo?
December 11th, 2007 at 12:37 am
Roger the group that is sueing is sueing because of the way the animals are killed. Some of the ways they are killed though are quite violent. I dont really think that it is good to go and kill animials for things we need but that is not what everyone is up set about.
December 11th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
To be honest, i wear kangaroo skin cleets. But i think im going to side with Blake and Roger on this one because I’m sure there are way more cows killed every year just so we can eat mcdonalds. Mcdonalds hamburgers arn’t even good for the world, they just make people more unhealthy. On the other hand, soccer affects many other country’s relations with each other and just about every country besides the US, considers soccer the most important sport. This is also promoting physical activity, keeping many people healthy. In my opinion i think kangaroo skin cleets are a much better way to use animal products, instead of cows being killed to make unhealthy foods and promoting obesity. Also, if they are killing 7 million kangaroos a year, i doubt the kangaroo species is at all close to being endangered, their species must be very healthy to support such a large market of soccer cleets. Also, I’m assuming Australia dosnt use most of the skins in Australia, instead they are probably exported to many countries throughout the world. While we on the other hand have thousands and thousands of fast food restaraunts in our country…. Also, im sure there are more plain leather shoes in the world than Kangaroo skin soccer cleats. I looked it up and, 300 million cows are killed yearly in the world, thats roughly 40 times the amount of kangaroos killed….. I do agree with Graham though, it might be better to kill the kangaroos in a more humane way. But i think people should look into how cows are slaughtered…. This site at the bottom of my comment says that cows are shocked with 9,000 volt cattle prods and dragged and beaten onto trucks. At slaughter houses some cows have had their hooves cut off alive. Just thought I should point these things out before you criticize another country’s trade.
http://www.stockshowinfo.com/agriculture.cows.html
December 11th, 2007 at 4:29 pm
First of all, Resha, they are wasting; only the skin is used, and not the rest of the body. Second of all even if they didn’t waste, that’s just in humane and wrong.I personnaly think it should stop.
December 11th, 2007 at 8:24 pm
This is a very controversial issue. So many people around the world love to play soccer. Many of them who own these cleats probably have no idea what they are made from or how they are made. I think humans should not have to kill animals to have cleats, shoes, jewlery or anything else. Technology has come so far that we should be able to engineer comfrotable cleats made from materials that do not harm anything in the process. I think Addidas should be sued because what they are doing is wrong on so many levels. They knew when they got into this that it was wrong and maybe with a liitle more money spent on their part could have engineered cleats with the same amount of comfort but without the killing of innocent creatures.
December 11th, 2007 at 8:51 pm
I am a soccer player and I have heard about kangaroo leather soccer cleats. I really do not see the neccesity of these type of cleats when I think others work just as well. It is the player that matters not the equipment.
December 11th, 2007 at 9:13 pm
graham, I really dont think it matters too much how they are killed. They still die and i think that is inevitable that they will get killed so sure we can make it a more “enjoyable death” but the kangaroos wil take it all the same. The real problem is with the people. So, its ok to kil kangaroos as long as they die quick?
December 11th, 2007 at 9:13 pm
Graham i know that, but if they were killed in a humane manner, nobody would care! I know some people kill them in a violent manner, and i am against that. but im just saying that there wouldn’t be this big argument over kangaroos.
December 11th, 2007 at 10:04 pm
why do the people use poor animals for their shoes and other things. we can make them without animals. people are so mean to use these things. i once see how to make these things. that was terrible.
December 11th, 2007 at 11:17 pm
Connor if you didn’t notice I also said that the Kangaroos meat is used as well so actually it’s not a waste at all and I agree that the way they are being killed is unfair and needs to be stopped.
December 11th, 2007 at 11:45 pm
Connor the skin and meat is used not just the skin! The meat is used in restraunts look at my earlier comment. They do eat kangaroo!
December 12th, 2007 at 6:55 pm
Okay, this article upset me a bit. I understand why so many people would be angry at people for killing these animals for soccer shoes, I am too. But what upsets me the most is that everyone is so upset about this, but doesn’t really have a second thought about how we do the same things to cows. Leather anyone??? How can we be so against the killing one animal and be so apt to try and save it, when we are not about another!!! This is like the previous article Miss Baker posted about Survival of the Prettiest. How can we care so much for one species, and not another?!?! We’re hypocrites if we condemn others for owning a pair of “kangaroo shoes” or whatever, when I bet almost all of you (including me) own some sort of leather product. Until we can stop using leather for our things, we have no right to condemn others.
December 12th, 2007 at 8:26 pm
Hmm controversial issue. That’s pretty sketchy… I would have to say though that I don’t think it’s right that the kangaroos are being killed in the first place. 7 million is a high number but Richie is right- it’s much less than chickens or cows killed and eaten or used for other comodities. Regaurdless of numbers though, it’s still un justified to kill the kangaroos in the first place- or the cows or the chickens or any other animals that meet the same cruel end at human hands. These animals go on living just as they have since they evolved from a common ancestor millions of years ago, without taking unfair advantage of any other organisms like we do. Is it fair that because we have a superior intellect and the means to do this that we are justified in taking advantage of oter animals? Some might say yes, some might say no. I say we don’t. Just because we run the planet doesn’t mean we have to kill for luxury? Can’t engineers and scientists just come up with a different material? For pete’s sake- they got us to the moon! Can we as a race just be satisfied with eating more fruits and vegetables as opposed to meats all the time? I mean some is alright, but the massacre of livestock in the world for meat and other luxuries that we don’t even have to have is mindnumbing. Roger- I don’t think that people just have an issue with the way that the kangaroos are killed. I think they’re angry that the kangaroos are being used unjustly for luxuries we can survive without and that it’s immoral. Just like products an abundance of products made form cow leather or chicken feathers or whatever the case may be. It’s ok to use these resources sparingly beacuse we do dominate the food chain and that’s just life. But abusing the blessing is immoral and that is what I think is happening here. That’s what I would say
December 12th, 2007 at 10:50 pm
That is really horrible of how they kill the kangaroos for their skin. Other poachers kill different animals and it is really horrible. I believe that it would be okay if they only kill a few but not too many as animals have been hunted. Kangaroos are really magnificant creatures and i believe that they should not be hunted so much.
December 12th, 2007 at 11:00 pm
THATS HORRIBLE! I cannot believe that they would kill innocent little kangaroos just for their skin. I think that calf skin works just fine, and i commend California for making it illegal. I mean, I love shoes, but really? Do you have to kill an animal for it? I can understand suede and leather, because we use the other parts of the cow for other things too, but I am totally against things like real Cheetah fur or snake skin shoes. I actually talked to a lady that had on a coat that was entirely made of chinchilas! The coat was almost to the floor and she had no problem with the fact that probably over 30 little creatures had to die to make her warm. I think that polyester, cotton, and leather work just as well at keeping us warm.
December 12th, 2007 at 11:30 pm
I have a mixed opinion about this. I think that it’s bad to kill for our own personal desires, but at the same time, I totally agree with what Kt said. We have no right to condemn other people, when we go around eating other animals all the time. I think eating animals is just as bad as wearing them. I own adidas soccer shoes, and I also eat chicken all the time. So I don’t think that until I figure out my own stand on this, I can’t really shoot down anyone else about what they’re doing.
December 13th, 2007 at 8:14 am
Ok Roger i see what your saying. I agree that the way that they are killing the animals is awful. Great point.
December 13th, 2007 at 8:30 pm
AGain im stil noticing that people are mad because the kangaroos are soo cute and stuff and now im really remembereing the post on “survival of the prettiest. Im getting the idea that people think its ok to kill 300 million cows a year because they’re ugly? Cows arent the only animal they slaughter for only a single part of the animal. Kangaroos dont go to waste after they are skinned. People eat the meat and whatever they dont eat can be…. well… decomposed into the soil. Sounds weird but its a natural process, I really think that 7 million os fine considering all the other animals they kill in huge numbers. If everyone wants to complain about the kangaroos, then complain about other animals too or find another reason
December 13th, 2007 at 8:47 pm
Wow, killing Kangaroos for soccer cleats. I now finally get why there are so many animals going extinct. Its because of the stupid things we use them for. i mean look at the elephants we use their tusks for what? Some Ivory. I would much rather have another animal on the planet then some ivory.
December 13th, 2007 at 9:14 pm
How can you stand for something that kill helpless animals just to make some money!
December 13th, 2007 at 9:58 pm
STUDENTS - please do not post a comment here unless you have something new to add to what has already been said.
December 13th, 2007 at 9:59 pm
steven i just want to add that i dont think that people are killing cows because they are ugly! they are killing them because the demand for them is sooo large! Also there are cows all over the world, but kangaroos only live in Austrailia
December 15th, 2007 at 1:53 pm
When I did this post i was shocked at the amount of kangaroos killed, I thought what a awful thing to do, but after reading some of your comments you are all right. It is wrong to kill the kangaroos but most people here are also not complaining about the other animals that are killed either.
Here is a site about how many sharks are killed. http://news.mongabay.com/2006/1003-sharks.html
Also look at this site it gives a lot of other examples of how many animals are slaughtered each year.
http://www.madcowboy.com/01_FactsAR.000.html
It is good that we are worried about the kangaroow but what about the other animals in the world that are also killed each year.
December 16th, 2007 at 10:39 pm
This is a great post I really did not know that this was going on. I am very shocked that so many are killed. I agree that the population of other animals is much greater, but right now their is a much higher demand for them.
February 16th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
I think its cruel that they kill Kangaroos. All animals have a right to live. 7 million kangaroos is alot.I didnt know they were getting killed just to make cleats. Im never going to buy anyting from adidas again.
February 19th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
I think that it is wrong to kill animals. I do not approve of adidas’ choice. I am always sad when i hear that kangaroo’s are dying. I wish that they would just stop!