For Immediate Release
Contact: Parker Lewis 925.451-3866 (parker@friendsofanimals.org)
San Francisco, CA ““ “The World Cup comes around and everyone wants their team to reach the trophy. In the meantime, kangaroos are being killed for cleat shoes,” says Parker Lewis for Friends of Animals.
In response to the latest blow struck to the movement to eliminate Australia’s annual cull of kangaroos ““ California’s recent passage of SB 1345, which legalizes the importation of kangaroo skins for commercial purposes ““ Lewis, the U.S. Friends of Animals west-coast correspondent, called for people everywhere to avoid soccer goods made from these skins.
“Alternatives exist. Synthetic cleats and balls have come a long way in the past decade, and several notable names in the game – including David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo – made the switch after learning what their shoes involved,” stated Lewis. “So we know there are non-leather shoes of outstanding quality at a fair price.”
The Australian government has approved the deaths of more than four million kangaroos this year. It’s an unnecessary, money-driven killing plan that separates communities, children from mothers, and lives from this Earth. The justification? The kangaroo population is wildly out of control. (In fact, the numbers of the four major communities of kangaroos stalked for their skin and flesh have declined over the last decade according to the government’s own figures.*)
To those of you who love the sport and play in cleats made from materials that do not support the annual slaughter of millions of kangaroos, bravo. To those of you who have not yet made the switch, alternatives to conventional leather cleats can be found at almost all sporting goods websites, including thefind.com and zappos.com ““ just search “synthetic soccer cleats.”
FoA’s Parker Lewis added: “The World Cup, its fans, and its sponsors can enjoy this monumental event and take care to respect an indigenous population of Australia.”
*Reference: “Kangaroos – Wild Harvest of Native Species” – Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (14 June 2010); available: http://bit.ly/kangaroototals
Friends of Animals, founded in 1957, advocates for the right of animals to live free according to their own terms.