Here’s why an Arizona lawmaker wants to ban sale of kangaroo products

PHOENIX — An Arizona lawmaker filed a bill that would ban the sale of kangaroo products as part of a wider effort to prevent shoe companies from using the animal’s skin in soccer cleats.

“Major athletic shoe retailers can make the transition to non-animal-based soccer cleats without any adverse effects, and my legislation will hasten a logical and humane switch in their purchasing practices,” Rep. Amish Shah, the central Phoenix Democrat who introduced HB2741, said in a press release Wednesday.

“In fact, these companies already make cruelty-free shoes widely available.”

Similar bills are being considered in Connecticut, New Jersey and Oregon, and other states are expected to join the effort in the coming weeks, according to the release.

California already has a ban in place.

Shah’s bill would make it illegal to buy or sell kangaroo parts or any product made from the Australian marsupial. The bill covers red, western grey and eastern grey kangaroos as well as the common wallaroo.

About 70% of all skins from kangaroos culled in Australia are used in soccer cleats, marketed as k-leather by companies such as Nike, Adidas and Mizuno, according to the release.

“Synthetic soccer cleats are readily available and easily rival or outperform those made from the skins of kangaroos,” Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, said in the release.

“There’s no reason to kill two million kangaroos on the other side of the planet for soccer cleats that are already made with other fabrics and in wide use.”

Follow @kstonezone