Shocking video footage of a kangaroo crouching in a cage on a busy Los Angeles street has exposed Tourism Australia to allegations of animal cruelty. The stunt was part of Tourism Australia's "G'day USA" marketing campaign.
Kylie Mackenzie, who shot the footage in January, said she was horrified to see the kangaroo kept for hours on end in such an unnatural environment, with barely a bucketful of straw over the concrete pavement. "I just couldn't believe that this is how they were trying to promote Australia," she said.
Humane America, the USA equivalent of Australia's RSPCA, had seen the footage and was unconcerned. "Their view was that it wasn't (in distress) and that when it did a bit of rocking "it was just maybe a bit of boredom," Ms Crowley said.
However, Tim Faulkner, a marsupial expert at Australian Reptile Park, said it was clear the animal was not acting normally. "The animal is obviously distressed, there is no question about it."
Animal Liberation spokeswoman Angie Stephenson said noises of a city street combined with confinement in a small cage were unsuitable for a kangaroo.
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