Animal activists and protesters are describing the first day of the Canberra kangaroo cull as inhumane and cruel, as up to 40 animals were apparently destroyed after being tranquilised and taken from a former Naval site - marked for redevelopment.
The cull has been reinvigorated after a lengthy delay, with Defence last Friday announcing a trans-relocation programme of the 600-strong kangaroo population, estimated at $3.5 million, was too costly.
Protestors and the media watched on today as up to 70 animals were trapped in a temporary enclosure.
Coralie Letica of WildCare at the scene says Defence did not consider the suffering of the kangaroos when planning the cull.
"I've seen some pretty cruel acts done to animals over the years, mostly wildlife. I've seen some horrific injuries that wildlife have incurred through various reasons.
"But I've never seen anything so cruelly done so openly and with authority. It's just appalling."
The kangaroos were hearded into a narrow corridor, where they were fired at with tranquilizer darts, before being taken away to be destroyed.
RSPCA spokespeople on site have said the operation was carried out without breaching humane conduct, however protestors on the other side of the barbed-wire fence are telling a different story.