Re: Duck Shooting must stop!

On the weekend, at my local wetland,
i witnessed numerous protected species being killed and bag limits exceeded.
 Hunters were arriving at dusk and shooting birds as they came into
roost, even though a curfew of 1/2 hour  after dusk was imposed.  
No signs of any enforcement of these restrictions were visible.

Victoria has over 20,000 licenced game
shooters.  Each shooter is allowed to take a maximum of 5 birds a
day.

Thats potentially 100,000 birds killed
a day in Victoria! legally!   And with the season running for 58 days.....do
the sums Mr Thwaites! 

THIS IS NOT SUSTAINABLE!

The whole of Reedy Lake at Leopold was
swarming with duck shooters and gave the ducks (and other birds) no chance
to land and hide in the reeds, without being spooked by another group of
hunters and subsequently shot.  The whole population of ducks were
virtually massacred!

I could take no more when i saw a Magpie
Goose, a reintroduced species to Victoria(after previous era's of inhuman
hunting activities),  plummet to the ground. 
Serendip Sanctuary  have put in
long hard efforts to try to reintroduce the species back to Victoria, and
Reedy Lake is supporting a large population of them..or was.  How
can the government fund a project like this, while allowing its objectives
to be comprimised by opposing activities? 

Furthermore, allowing these 'threatening
to society' activities to go unregulated only 1 km from the residential
suburb of Leopold with nearly 10,000 people.

When will this nightmare stop for our
native wildlife and the people that respect them?

My family, who are also residents of
Leopold, were awoken by gun shoots and the barking of local dogs in the
area, that were scared witless by the comotion going on nearby.

It is my opinion that allowing duck
shooting this close to a residential area, contradicts the peaceful society
we are trying to create. (Or is this the state of disorder the government
believes necessary to promote, to encourage support for  the war mongering
Australia is participating in?)

Actions need to be taken immediatley,
Mr Thwaite!  Else you will be held responsible for the  decimation
of the native waterfowl population in Victoria. 

Please consider the following:

** Regulate the number of hunters on
a wetland at any one time.

** Provide safe havens for birds, where
no shooters are allowed.

** Shooting to cease half an hour BEFORE
dark - how are identification skills and safety issues aided by allowing
shooting at night time?

** Ensure Police Officers and Wildlife
Officers are present at all open wetlands to enfore restrictions.

** Closure of game reserves within 5
km of residential areas.

** Total ban on lead shot - not just
12 guage and above
 
** BAN DUCK SHOOTING!