Guest guest Posted April 1, 2001 Report Share Posted April 1, 2001 please write, even if you are not in oz maybe a little international attention is what is needed thanks - " kim " <kkaos <alqld; <seanqld > Tuesday, October 31, 2000 8:21 AM [alqld] write: duck hunting season > unbelieveable as it may seem, people still like shooting ducks for fun. > > pat o'brien of the WPA mentioned that the QLD duck and quail management > committee has advised the minster to allow a duck hunting season this year > despite his predecessors (welford) plans to axe it. > > i urge you to write to the minister and complain loudly!! > > below is ALs response to the matter and the necessary info to write your own. > > regards, > > kim > > --------- > > Hon Dean Wells > Minister for the Environment > PO Box 456 > Brisbane, Albert St 4002 > > 31st March, 2001 > > Dear Mr Wells, > Re: Duck Hunting Season > > Animal Liberation is a lobby and educational group dedicated to eradicating > cruelty to animals in our community. For our purposes, this includes > protecting the natural environment and the welfare of native animals from > violence. > > It has come to my attention that the Queensland Duck and Quail Management > Advisory Committee are advocating an open season this year. We urge you to > continue the enlightened policy of your predecessor by banning the > recreational hunting of duck and quail outright, the reasons for which I > have outlined below. (We also have a detailed and referenced information > paper on this issue available at > http://www.powerup.com.au/~alibqld/duckinfo.htm ). > > 1. Duck and quail hunting is not sporting > Sport is essentially meant to be harmless fun, to draw a community together > and to give human beings the opportunity to demonstrate their skills. > Hunting is no longer a necessary skill in our society, and indeed the > implications for other sentient animals, including the indirect effects to > other human beings inherent in the act of condoning violence, are great. > > 2. Wounding rates are unacceptable > Wounding rates have been estimated at between 5-15 birds for every 10 > bagged, depending on the skill of the hunter. Given that skill is not > assessed at the time of permit issue, and that even skilled hunters find it > difficult not to wound animals (especially when much hunting occurs in > twilight hours when visibility is lessened), accidental wounding will > always be a factor. > > 3. Protected species are illegally shot > Additionally, and many hunters themselves would agree, the procedure for > testing the hunters ability to recognise a protected or endangered species > from a partially protected one is inadequate. Protected species like the > black swan and the freckled duck can and do get killed 'accidentally'. > Some studies indicate that hunters may wilfully shoot at protected animals > out of boredom or frustration. > > 4. Duck and quail have social systems > Many ducks form monogamous pairs for life. Much research indicates that > animals are capable of grieving the loss of kin. This may not be > qualitatively the same as human grief, but should still be taken into > consideration in deciding whether it is necessary to inflict such suffering > for no reason other than 'recreation'. > > 5. Proper enforcement is impossible > I understand that hunters lobby groups are advocating a tenfold increase in > fines for hunting without a permit, or killing endangered species. This is > no solution in my opinion, because of the impossibility of policing > recreational hunting in Queensland. Most hunting occurs on private > property, and by the hunters own admission, permits are very infrequently > inspected. QNP & W currently monitor harvesting by talking to the hunters. > A Canadian survey revealed that actual violations were far greater than > those admitted to in surveys. Self-assessment is a questionable method of > accumulating data on which to make policy decisions. > > 6. Lead poisoning of the environment > Surveys conducted in South Australia have indicated that lead shot > contributed to the slow deaths of wounded birds, as well as substantial > environmental contamination that resulted in mass deaths on at least two > occasions. Water birds ingest lead shot when bottom feeding and will die > over a period of weeks. It is obvious that other species beside those > permitted for hunting will be affected. No study of the flow-on effect of > carnivores eating lead-poisoned ducks has been carried out. > > 7. Tax payers subsidising licenses > In 1995, the Goss Government Treasury costed the price of a Recreational > Wildlife Harvesting Licence to the state to be $175. Hunters are paying a > fraction of this at $45. With approximately 500 hunters this year, this > represents an estimated cost of around $65,000 to tax payers. > > 8. Duck hunting has been banned in other states > Recreational duck shooting is already banned in Western Australia, New > South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. The then Premier, Dr > Carmen Laurence, stated at the time of the WA ban in 1990: > " There is widespread opposition throughout the community to the cruelty & > environmental damage caused by shooters... Our community has reached a > stage of enlightenment where it can no longer accept the institutionalised > killing of native birds for recreation. " > There are obvious cruelty issues at stake with hunting of any kind. We > live in a society which no longer requires hunting for survival, so the > cruelty that it entails serves no purpose. > > It is becoming increasingly clear that we human beings have a great deal of > power to harm the natural environment. As such, an ethic of respect for > nature is essential to turn around degrading practices. Condoning hunting > for recreation continues the tradition of use and abuse that is contrary to > meeting environmentally sustainable objectives for the future. It is not > an ethic I want to perpetuate in my children, nor a legacy to be proud of. > We have a great opportunity to make the future a more humane place by > refusing to accept tradition as an apologia for inhumane practices. > > We urge you to reject the recommendations of the advisory committee and ban > the recreational hunting of duck and quail in Queensland. > > Sincerely, > > > Kim Stewart > BA Philosophy (Murdoch) > Studying Philosophy Honours and > BA Environmental Management and Policy (Griffith) > > President > Animal Liberation Queensland > > > -------------------------------- > animal liberation queensland * http://www.powerup.com.au/~alibqld > > ethical consumption * http://www.powerup.com.au/~kkaos > > ecovegan * http://www.powerup.com.au/~kkaos/main.html > -------------------------------- > > " If one does not hope, one will not find > the unhoped-for, since there is no trail > leading to it and no path " - Heraclitus > If you want to share pictures, use the calendar, or start a questionnaire > visit http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/alqld > > To leave the group, email: alqld- _______ Get your free @ address at Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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