Kangaroo scrotums in short supply in Australia after rain sends them bounding

BRISBANE, Australia — Kangaroo scrotums are reportedly in short supply in Australia after constant heavy rain drove the animals beyond the range of shooters.

Tanned kangaroo scrotums are popuar souvenirs here — used to make everything from bottle openers to bags and key rings.

For interested readers, here is a picture of the finished product. 

For the intensely curious, here's another. 

There is also a market for them on eBay. 

The Brisbane Times quoted taxidermist John Kreuger, who lives in Townsville, in the north of Queensland state, as saying: 

"We're having some trouble, especially getting the big ones, because of all the floods you guys have had down there I've been told by the professionals that a lot of the kangaroos have moved further into the desert. Therefore the traditional shooting areas are bare of kangaroos, no doubt they'll come back but in the meantime, especially for the red kangaroo, it's hard to get hold of the scrotums."

Kreuger was careful to describe himself to the Brisbane Times as a conservationist, who does not simply kill kangaroos for the "bits and pieces that hang off them," rather obtaining his, ahem, materials from kangaroo meat factories.

Normally, the factories would process 22,000 kangaroos a week but Kreuger said they were down to about a quarter of that lately.

Meanwhile, there was no point settling for second best:

"Of course a big percentage of that are probably younger male kangaroos and they don't have the right-sized testicles. We want the big ones. The more experienced kangaroos seem to know when the weather is not in favour and they take off."

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/environment/weather/brisbanes-bucketing-makes-it-hard-to-get-hold-of-the-scrotums-20130312-2fxor.html#ixzz2NIDzrykc