2994                                     JOINT RESOLUTIONS

two years of life.

Unlike the sheep and cattle which graze over much of
Australia, the kangaroo does not destroy its own habitat.
During the drought they regulate their own numbers by
cessation of breeding and migration to more favorable
areas.

But like the dolphin, the whale, the tiger and other
highly distinctive members of the animal kingdom, the
kangaroo has been taken for granted and frivolously
slaughtered to make athletic shoes, needless artifacts,
and pet foods.

Once abundant in Australia, the kangaroo has been
killed on such a scale in recent years that it is now
threatened with extinction. Unless they are placed on
the endangered species list promptly, there will be
little hope of saving these delightful creatures from
total destruction.

As a result of this crisis, E. Gough Whitlam,
Australia's Prime Minister, has announced that his
government would temporarily ban the export of kangaroo
products.

The Department of the Interior should place the
kangaroo on The United States Government List of
Endangered Fish and Wildlife. Complimenting the
Australian action, this American move would serve to
abolish the principal economic incentive for slaughter of
the kangaroo, and would prod Australia to give further
protection to the kangaroo and save the species from
further slaughter, suffering and eventual extinction.

Inevitably, however, there are interests in both
countries which wish to keep the kangaroo trade
flourishing even though the dollar volume is snail and
there are many substitutes available. It is important
that Australia and the United States not yield to these
pressures.

The willingness to save these gentle, amiable,
almost defenseless creatures is important not only in
keeping the kangaroos alive but also in keeping human
beings human; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, That
Rogers C. B. Morton, Secretary of the United States
Department of the Interior, be urged to place the
kangaroo on the United States Government List of
Endangered Fish and Wildlife in order to halt the
needless slaughter of the dwindling numbers of Australian
kangaroos; and be it further