California is one of the most lucrative markets in the United States for the soccer industry with well over 300,000 kids enrolled in youth leagues,” said Natasha Dolezal, deputy director of campaigns for The Center for a Humane Economy and Animal
Wellness Action.
Over the past several months, the organizations and their grassroots allies have launched protests outside several Nike flagship stores across the country, including in New York, Portland and Los Angeles, as well as overseas in Australia.
As horrific as the shooting of millions of adult kangaroos is, the abuse visited on hundreds of thousands of baby kangaroos – each year is even worse. The defenseless young animals are yanked from the pouches and killed by blunt force trauma to the head after their mothers have been shot, often with a violent swing against the side of a car or other solid surface. Australia’s killing code stipulates that it is okay for the babies to linger in pain for a full three
minutes before death ends their suffering.
The legal maneuver, filed today in Superior Court in Los Angeles against Soccer Shop USA, came after the groups’ investigators discovered several models of soccer cleats made from kangaroo leather for sale at the three Los Angeles-area retail outlets.
