Put an end to duck shooting
Field and Game Australia are once again pushing for another duck shooting season in 2020.
In light of the worst drought in living memory this is abhorrent, offensive and shows a complete lack of respect and regard of dwindling waterbird species, not to mention the lack of water not only in Northern Victoria but Australia wide.
The Murry-Darling Basin is dying.
As a result of this, wildlife is struggling and waterbird numbers decrease more and more each year, not helped by a government who continues to support this vile, outdated, recreational activity.
Australia has the worst rate of extinction in the world, not to mention the dubious honour in eating its coat of arms, the emu and kangaroo.
What will it take to endorse a permanent ban on duck shooting in Victoria?
To add further insult, Field and Game declare themselves to be “true conservationists”.
What “conservationists” push to deliberately fill up wetlands with water that could be used to conserve rather than shoot native waterbird species?
In this day and age, this is deeply disturbing, distressing and insulting to those struggling on the land to make ends meet, not to mention the untold casualties of waterbirds.
As we all enter a new decade, it is high time that the Victorian Government shows insight, vision, compassion and common sense and bans duck shooting once and for all.
Kerang is known as Victoria’s Kakadu due to the beauty of its wetlands and the incredible flora and fauna that resides no where else in the world.
Furthermore, these are RAMSAR listed wetlands of great significance to the First People, as well as local, interstate and overseas travellers.
Field and Game Australia should be ashamed of themselves pushing to use precious water to encourage waterbirds to then wound and kill gentle native bird species.
Duck shooting must be banned for good, with wetlands and nature based activities to replace this.
Much welcome money can then come into struggling regional towns based on nature based activities rather than the maiming, wounding and killing of unique, native waterbird species.
It takes a government with vision, courage and conviction to do this.
Kate Bossence
Kerang
