Hunting

Shirona Farm — 1999-09-03

The very next evening we start out. The entire family, Donna, Ronni, their four- and five-year-old kids, the two-month-old infant, Tanja, myself and Elvis the kangaroo hound who by the way looks more like a greyhound, are on the loading area of the pickup. It is already dark and has rained all day, the conditions for a successful hunting expedition are excellent

Soon the searchlight discovers the first kangaroo. The truck comes to a halt, Ronni levels the gun and a shot tears through the silence of the night. Like felled with the axe, the roo collapses in the grainfield and is dead on the spot. Good shot!, I praise Ronni. We heave the animal on the loading area and drive on. At the next stop, Ronni releases Elvis from the leash. Like an arrow he shoots through the knee-deep field and it takes only seconds for him to rend his prey. We shoot three kangaroos and two rabbits in the course of the next hour. If Ronni would shoot all the animals sighted our loading area would be full. To our relief he shoots only young, male roos and let the Moms with the young in their pouches run. The old grey kangaroos, approximately 2 meters tall, also escape with their lives .

Later they show us how to skin and gut them. The upper part is being fed to the dogs and the lower part including the tail cut up at once.