I hate writing this stuff but somebody's got to...
On opening weekend of the duck season (16/17 March), a private wetland in
western Victoria was the scene of what's been described as a 'massacre'. The
Coalition Against Duck Shooting learned around 2000 birds were shot and
left, including 200 Freckled Ducks, and swans, coots, grebes and game
species. The full extent of the carnage will never be known although the
Department of Primary Industries and the police are investigating. This
appears to be highly embarrassing for the Minister for Agriculture, Peter
Walsh, as he's not only in charge of this 'highly regulated activity' but it
happened in his electorate. So far, one person has been charged.
The ABC's news coverage:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-03-25/police-investigate-mass-slaughter-of-p
rotected-birds/4592690?section=vic
...and from 'The World Today':
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-03-26/mass-shooting-of-protected-birds-raise
s-new/4595290?section=vic
Last weekend, about 150 dead birds were collected from Box Flat and brought
to Melbourne to display. They included 43 Freckled Duck, a Hoary-headed
Grebe, 5 Eurasian Coot, a Black Swan and a Blue-billed Duck (and 85 game
birds of five different species).
Here are some photos:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151596509838125.1073741830.63812
3124
<https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151596509838125.1073741830.6381
23124&type=1> &type=1
Total = 156: 71 non-game comprising 43 endangered, 28 protected. Plus 85
game species.
There's no hope that the Coalition will change its policy about duck
shooting. If you want it to end, along with outrages like this, please
consider emailing Daniel Andrews, leader of the state Labor Party - asking
him to call a halt to duck shooting if elected next year:
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