Tag Archives: duck shooting

Country people: shut down Victoria’s bird shoot

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Calls for immediate shut down of bird shoot due to “uncontrollable” lawlessness and health risks

NOT EVEN A week since Victoria’s recreational bird shoot started and not even covid restrictions have prevented lawlessness and cruelty.

Shocking pictures on social media show the proximity of men in army fatigues with guns near built-up areas.

Reports have been made to the regulator about illegal shooting — well before allowable time — with the regulator’s response 24 hours later requesting more information which would help them identify the perpetrator.

IMAGE: Source Regional Victorians Opposed to Duck Shooting Inc

Regional Victorian Opposed to Duck Shooting Inc (RVOTDS) are not surprised. “This happens every shooting season. Not only are regional families having to live with this happening on their doorsteps, but they also have to put themselves in harm’s way to collect evidence for the regulator to do its job as well.”

Elsewhere, a complaint was made that shooters were flouting covid restrictions with the alarming outcome the police did not know the covid rules and nothing was done.

And elsewhere, appalling cruelty appears to have been captured on video of a shooter trying to hide from cameras as he fed pieces of a live bird to his dog.

“It is abundantly clear this pastime is unable to be controlled and poses a serious risk to our native birdlife and rural communities” said Kerrie Allen spokesperson for RVOTDS.

“Why shooting native birds was ever allowed to proceed during covid is beyond us. Now we have lawless guys with guns around the state and bands of rescuers having to follow them. It’s unnecessary and dangerous when an ugly variant of fast spreading virus is breathing down our necks.”

“Victoria is a basket case right now and is it any wonder? Time for accountability. That starts with saying ‘no’ — like other states have — to a group of folks who like to shoot birds for fun.”

RVOTDS has submitted a lengthy complaint to the regulator about it’s “cumulative failings over the years’ and they say if that is not responded to quickly and appropriately they will take it “far further”. In the interim they are calling on James Merlino acting Premier to shut down the shooting immediately.

“The regulator is still unable to provide accurate maps of where shooting is / is not allowed. It has also failed to list wetland closures on its website. How are shooters supposed to know where they can shoot let alone how are the public meant to know where to avoid?

“Regional families have been totally forsaken on this issue year after year. We believe compensation is due given all the long days, weeks and months we’ve had to put up with this madness in our backyards every year with no consideration by policy makers.”

— Kerrie Allen

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Shooting Australian native ducks starts again in SA

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SOUTH AUSTRALIA and Victoria continue post-colonial killing of many native wildlife species, and encourage wild-bird shooting seasons in the states’ wetlands. Peter Hylands explores the wonders of the Coorong (link here) where the guns will be blasting as of Saturday 20 March 2021.

screen-grab-SA-duck-shooting-season-2021AWPC members can support local wildlife groups to say ‘enough’.

IMAGERY: Pacific Black Duck, Coorong National Park. Creative Cowboy.

 

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End the deliberate carnage of our Victorian waterbirds- called a “sport”

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810 birds, including 68 endangered freckled ducks, were shot and left to die on Victorian wetlands on the opening weekend of the duck shooting season. These dead birds were left outside Premier Daniel Andrew’s office.

Australia’s rarest waterfowl, the Freckled Duck breeds in swamps in inland Australia.  The Freckled Duck may be easily confused with the Pacific Black Duck, Anas superciliosa, and the Hardhead, Aythya australis.

Just what is the purpose of giving the label “endangered” when they can be confused, or deliberately eliminated, for this blood sport?

Duck shooters themselves often don’t even realise that the birds they are shooting are native. On top of this, a recent ecological survey found waterbird numbers are the lowest they have been in 34 years.  The same State government department, DELWP, is responsible for administering our Wildlife Act, by default to protect our native bird/animals, so it’s an gross conflict of interest that they also remove their protected status to declare a DUCK SHOOTING SEASON.

shot-bird

Duck shooters don’t discriminate on what birds they kill, and every single season swans, avocets and rare freckled ducks become victims, too. Time and time again, duck shooters have proven that they can’t be trusted.

Victoria’s wetlands are rich in 50,000 years of indigenous heritage. A thriving, nature-based wetlands tourism industry is the way of the future. It will not only revitalise country towns, but will protect the financial future of regional Victorians. Many duck-shooters call themselves “conservationists” yet they leave behind rubbish and pollution, and their carnage!

Duck numbers are still recovering after low water levels in recent years and protected species and other waterbirds often fall victim to duck hunters. In addition to this our native water birds will be under attack from thousands of shooters, who are often inexperienced and reckless. Many birds will be shot but not killed outright and will be left to die slow torturous deaths or will drown, unable to swim or fly any further due to painful injuries.

Duck shooting has been banned in Western Australia, Queensland and New South Wales and that according to a Morgan Poll, 2007; an overwhelming 87% of Victorians support a ban on duck shooting, including many who live locally to wetlands where duck shooting takes place; it seems undeniable that the Victorian Government’s policies on this issue are lagging behind the current values and beliefs of our society.

Our native water birds have the right to live unharmed and in peace in their natural home. Please help to end this barbarism, tell our Premier the killing must end now!
This petition will be delivered to:

Premier of Victoria
Premier Daniel Andrews

Duck shooting is hideously cruel. But that’s not the only reason why we should ban the ‘sport’.

 

PETITION: Ban Duck Shooting

 

(featured image: Freckled duck- Wikipedia org)

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Petition: Protect our native waterbirds – Ban duck shooting!

Please help our native waterbirds by lobbying to put an end to this cruelty and ban recreational duck shooting once and for all.

US ballistics expert and duck shooter, Tom Roster, has shown that at least one in four birds targeted are not killed but wounded (this figure was recognised by Victoria’s Department of Sustainability and Environment)

Shotguns spray hundreds of small pellets, resulting in ducks with fractured or broken legs, or legs shot off entirely, shattered bills, splintered wings, pellets through eyes and gunshot lodged in organs, muscles and tendons. This is grotesque cruelty and wounded birds face a slow, painful death. Rescuers have often seen birds stuffed into shooters’ bags while still alive.

Injured Eurasian Coot - Kerang -17.5 Kim Wormald

(image: This wounded protected Eurasian Coot was recovered by rescuers at Lake Murphy on May 17. It was treated by a wildlife carer and released at a sanctuary last weekend. Photo by Kim Wormald)

The opening weekend attracted 14,000 hunters across the state, with 26,000 people authorised to hunt ducks. The government says a survey of the state’s 47,000 licensed game hunters found the industry was worth almost $440 million a year. It seems that even the tiniest creature has economic value, equated in dollars!

Laurie Levy, the campaign director with the Coalition Against Duck Shooting, has been an outspoken critic of the industry. “We had rescuers out every weekend of the duck shooting season,” he said.

Again this year, as well as protected and threatened species, lots of so called ‘game’ birds were saved from the shooters’ guns or recovered by rescuers, either dead or wounded.

Despite the dry and quiet season, 10 illegally shot threatened Freckled Ducks, Blue-billed Ducks and Musk Ducks were recovered by rescuers, as well as Swans, Hoary-headed Grebes, over 20 Eurasian Coot and other protected species.

Previous Labor governments in WA, NSW and Queensland have banned the barbaric activity, yet the Victorian Labor party still supports this grotesque cruelty.

(featured image: Freckled duck, Victoria. During the season, rescuers recovered over 100 dead or wounded waterbirds, including illegally shot threatened species such as Freckled Ducks, Blue-billed Ducks and Musk Ducks, as well as protected Hoary-headed Grebes, Eurasian Coots and a Swan)


Petition: Protect our native waterbirds – Ban duck shooting!
Letter to: Premier of Victoria Daniel Andrews, Minister for Agriculture Jaala Pulford

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