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Tourism Australia introduces new ambassador 'Ruby Roo' – and animal rights groups are LIVID
Post-pandemic, Australia is recovering from a tourism slump. The pandemic is still fresh in people's memories, and many areas are still struggling to put their lives back together after the lockdowns.
So, with the goal of bringing visitors back Down Under, Tourism Australia has launched a new campaign featuring the adorable Ruby Roo.
Ruby, a computer-generated likeness of one of Australia’s most iconic animals (some would argue koalas are better known elsewhere, but we digress), was highlighted in a short video clip with Tourism Australia’s new slogan: ‘Come and say G’day’.
But Australia's newest spokesperson seemingly did not pass the Australian test — this time with animal rights activists who are giving it a hard ‘no’.
In a statement, NSW Animal Justice Party MP Mark Pearson called out Tourism Australia's ‘hypocrisy’ for promoting a computer-generated kangaroo as their ambassador without acknowledging the measures taken to control their numbers.
NSW Animal Justice MP Mark Pearson said Ruby would have been slaughtered had she been real. Credit: 9news.com.au/Tourism Australia
‘If Tourism Australia's Brand Ambassador Ruby Roo was real, she would have been shot as part of a Government “Kangaroo Management Plan” and hung up by her leg on the back of a ute,’ he said. Yikes!
‘If the tourism industry is going to have the icon as our signature to the world, then talk about what we actually do to kangaroos.’
‘We can't keep saying, “Oh my god, we're overrun with kangaroos” because they've been here for millions of years – they're trying to survive,’ he continued.
Pearson said that there's no need to keep culling millions of kangaroos.
‘This animal is loved around the world,’ he pointed out.
‘We need to work with these animals, it's not a competition between a cow, a sheep, and a kangaroo.’
‘We're talking about killing kangaroos now and we've been killing kangaroos for 250 years. If the agriculture industry is saying we still have a problem, then the methodology that's just killing and maiming animals isn't working.’
In March, Pearson filed a bill at the New South Wales Parliament banning the killing of kangaroos, which is currently regulated by the state government through permits.
Animals Australia Director of Development Louise Bonomi agreed with Pearson, saying: ‘Tourism Australia using a kangaroo as its “face” of tourism is the equivalent of Japan adopting a whale as its tourism icon or Canada marketing itself using harp seals.’
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry meanwhile estimates around 3% of Australia’s 50 million kangaroos — roughly 1.5 million roos — are harvested yearly through sustainable means.
Before Ruby Roo, personalities and homegrown Aussie icons like Paul Hogan, Kylie Minogue, and Chris Hemsworth previously represented efforts to foster tourism growth in the country.
Tourist arrivals skyrocketed 802% in July 2022 compared to the same period in 2021, amounting to about 1.5 million tourists entering Australia in 12 months. Still, compared to pre-pandemic rates, these figures were down 84%.
Simply speaking, Aussie tourism still has a lot of ground to cover.
No matter what your thoughts are on kangaroos, we think most can agree kangaroos are one of the most admirable creatures Down Under. They're a huge part of the Australian identity, and we want tourists to be able to experience them for themselves.
If you have more thoughts to share about Tourism Australia introducing Ruby Roo as their latest spokesperson, share them with us in the comments below!
We’d love to hear them!
Credit: YouTube/7News Australia
