PETA Sends Environment Minister a “Dead Koala” Lunchbox
PETA has sent a gift to the Environment Minister to remind her who else, aside from gentle, clever cows, is at “steak” when beef is on the menu— Australia’s endangered koalas.
A damning new report has revealed that, in 2024, the Albanese government approved the destruction of over 3000 hectares of koala habitat despite the native marsupial being declared endangered in 2022. While railway expansion and mining contribute to land loss, the Australian Conservation Federation’s Environment Wrapped 2024 notes, “Our big backyard is still being bulldozed, mainly for the expansion of pasture for beef production.”
We sent Minister for Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek a metal lunchbox featuring an image of a burnt and bloodied koala wrapped in plastic on a meat tray to remind her that her decision to eat meat is mind-boggling. We also filled the lunchbox with delicious Australian vegan snacks to showcase what animal-free options are available.
This isn’t the first time Australia’s appetite for flesh has been linked to land clearing. A 2021 World Wildlife Fund report named Australia a deforestation hotspot, blaming 75% of deforestation in Eastern Australia on the creation of pastureland for cattle and sheep.
Australia’s 28 million cows raised for beef also consume as many as 112 litres of water daily. Imagine if the koalas that the Minister cuddles for promo shoots knew that she consumes the flesh of cows fattened up on pasture grown where their homes used to be!
Aside from being incredibly cruel to the animals raised on filthy factory farms and slaughtered at just a fraction of their natural lives, we’ve long known meat is environmentally destructive. We hope the Minister will carry the lunchbox as a reminder that, when it comes to meat, koalas also die when you buy.
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