The horrific and senseless killing of around 20 kangaroos and joeys in Tura Beach on Saturday night has made headlines on CNN and the New York Daily News on top of our local and national coverage.

We debated in the newsroom whether to even make mention of this lest it give these lowlifes, or those who might follow suit, some kind of affirmation they most certainly do not deserve.

However, that the world is watching could also be of benefit.

The act is quite rightly being condemned by a majority of this community. Greater scrutiny of it - both here and overseas - should further hold those responsible to account for their actions. Let's hope the police and judicial system take note.

The reaction by our community is worth exploring as well.

Many readers were horrified by the act itself, but several almost moreso by their fellow readers laughing about it or making jokes in the aftermath.

In the newsroom we were being sent screenshots of the Facebook users' names who had used the "laugh" reaction, and some of the more unsavoury commentary, with the thought they could be reported to authorities.

There's no conflating social media commentary to the perpetrators of the criminal activity, and given there has been little in the way of personal attacks, freedom of expression reigns supreme.

However, as much as the more compassionate among us find it distasteful, it does allow everyone to see exactly who thinks that way.

We're a farming region suffering the effects of drought - worse than some, not as bad as others. For struggling farmers, kangaroos are a headache they could do without and they are well within their rights to take appropriate action, whether neighbours or the community agree or not.

There also wouldn't be a day that goes by without a roo, wombat, or wallaby being hit by a car on our regional roads and highways, dying on the side of the road, or taken to wildlife volunteers for care.

But to have someone deliberately target grazing wildlife in a peaceful residential area, especially to such an extent as we saw Sunday night, is far beyond the pale and should be soundly condemned - both here and abroad.

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