hunting in national parks, NSW and Qld

[John Leonard <>]

Hi everyone,

I know it won't make any difference but I want to write to the premiers of NSW and Qld over the proposed opening of national parks to recreational shooting.

Just wanted to float what I think are the main reason why this is a bad idea past you to see if there are arguments I have missed:

1. The stated reason for allowing hunting is to control feral animals, but feral animals are not controlled by recreational shooting, but by carefully managed extermination or suppression campaigns conducted by professionals.

2. Recreational shooters have no interest in exterminating feral animals from national parks, otherwise they would no longer have anything to shoot, and there have been cases where hunters have introduced additional feral animals as game into reserves. The effect of this policy could in fact be to increase the number of feral animals in national parks where they were not present before (especially deer being moved to new areas).

3. Shooters create more disturbance in national parks than other users, as typically they move off paths and tracks. This would include damaging vegetation and frighting native animals, driving them away. This is particularly the case if they bring dogs into national parks.

4. Unsupervised shooters may target native animals and birds instead of ferals.

5. There is likely to be a conflict between shooters' and others' use of national parks, and other users may be injured in shooting accidents.

6. There already exists an industry catering for shooters on private properties, to open national parks up to shooting is to take money away from rural landholders who have previously offered hunting on their properties.

--
John Leonard
Canberra
Australia
www.jleonard.net

I want to be with the 9,999 other things.