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A burger restaurant in Bristol has ditched kangaroo meat from its menu following a vegan campaign.
Campaigners from animal welfare charity Viva! met with The Burger Joint to discuss the kangaroo meat industry, highlighting some ethical concerns.
As a result of these discussions, the restaurant’s Managing Director Dan Bekhradnia confirmed kangaroo meat would be dropped from the build-a-burger menu at both the Clifton and Bedminister sites.
‘Brutal and violent’
According to Viva!, the kangaroo meat industry is ‘one of the most brutal and violent in the world’. The charity says wild kangaroos are hunted at night using four-track vehicles and searchlights.
“The startled animals are supposedly shot in the head, but many are miss-shot and die a slow, agonising death. Baby kangaroos are pulled from their dying mother’s pouch to be clubbed to death while dependent adolescents are either shot or left to die from predation or hunger without the protection of their parents,” said the charity.
“Although no statistics are currently available on the number of wounded animals the Australian RSPCA estimates that 100,000 adults are inhumanely killed with some temporarily surviving with horrific wounds, such as shot off jaws.”
Campaigned for decades
“Viva! has campaigned against the sale of kangaroo meat for over two decades,” Lex Rigby, Campaigns Manager at Viva! said in a statement.
“We have achieved numerous successes and are proud to say that all UK supermarkets are now kangaroo meat-free. It was fantastic to see a popular gourmet restaurant –such as The Burger Joint – making the ethical choice to stop supporting the kangaroo meat industry, alongside offering improved vegan options on their menu.
“We are hopeful that this decision will encourage other restaurants to consider where their meat comes from and develop compassionate options. In the meantime, we continue to support Australian wildlife groups to end this merciless and bloody trade.”
An easy decision
“Once we had met with Lex and she explained the ethical and health concerns with regards to consuming kangaroo meat, removing it from our menu was an easy decision to make,” added Dan Bekhradnia, Managing Director at the Burger Joint.
“Although it was popular with our customers, we care deeply about serving responsibly sourced food, and it was clear that we could not be sure of this with kangaroo meat.”
