Hi Warren,
On Russell's website, http://birding-aus.org, he says "Birding-Aus is a
place for everyone with an interest in Australia's wild birds, their
conservation and behaviour." I would have thought that a discussion about
duck hunting was well and truly within that purview.
I am unsure what you mean by being against duck shooting for "practical",
not "emotional" reasons. Whilst I eat meat, and will continue to do so, I am
completely against duck hunting for the same reasons that I am against cock
fighting, bull fighting, fox hunting and any other form of blood sport - any
activity that results in the death or serious injury of an animal purely for
the enjoyment of the participant. I do not believe for an instant that the
majority of duck hunters shoot ducks for food, rather, they do so as a
"sport". One simply has to look at the name of the premier shooting
organisation in the country to realise that - The Sporting Shooter's
Association of Australia.
I choose to adopt this attitude because I find it more powerful and more
persuasive than to use the argument that duck hunting is bad because of the
low numbers of waterfowl due to the recent and long-term drought we have had
in Victoria and other eastern states. The problem with this point of view,
in my opinion, is that the moment conditions change - the drought is broken
- all of a sudden, duck hunting is acceptable again. Duck hunting, in my
opinion, should be banned permanently, not only when conditions or duck
numbers don't allow it.
Unfortunately the Sporting Shooters Association is a particularly powerful
lobby group. The fact that two members of the Shooters and Fishers Party
were elected to the Legislative Council in NSW illustrates the lobbying
power of shooters and hunters in this country. I believe that people
opposing duck hunting should have a voice also, and I see no reason why
birding-aus should not be used to promote this point of view. In the
interests of fairness and balanced coverage, however, you don't have to look
too far back in the birding-aus archives to find a post supporting duck
hunting.
Paul Dodd
Docklands, Victoria
-----Original Message-----
From:
On Behalf Of Warren
Thompson
Sent: Wednesday, 11 May 2011 7:43 AM
To:
Subject: Duck Shooting
I am firmly against duck shooting for practical, not emotional reasons.
Having said that, I question whether the recent postings including an
invitation to take part in certain activities are appropriate for
Birding-Aus postings. Is this the thin edge of the wedge with the site being
hijacked for political purposes. Was this the purpose for which the site was
established?
Warren Thompson
Levenstrath
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