Hello Birding-Aus people,
The question of so called “conservation hunting” has been well addressed by the Invasive Species Council of Australia. A paper by Dr Carol Booth of the Invasive Species Council researches the matter well.
See:http://www.invasives.org.au/documents/file/reports/Critique_IsHuntingConservation.pdf
We taxpayers through the NSW Government subsidise the Shooters via the NSW Game Council to the tune of around $1.8million per year.For this the shooters have killed around 6500 feral animals per year.This works out at $287 per killed animal. Bunnies account for almost half of the feral animals killed in NSW State Forests. In addition we now have more feral deer, goats and pigs in National Parks and other conservation lands as a consequence of the shooters illegally translocating animals.
The NSW Government has now done a deal with the Shooters to extend their “conservation hunting” into NSW National Parks. A reading of the Shooters website indicates that they consider all NSW National Parks other than those very close to Sydney to be available for their hunting even though the Government denies this. The Government meanwhile is busy sacking public servants, including people who look after our National Parks. This will give the Shooters a free hand to do whatever they like in our National Parks. The Shooters website indicates that they favour more frequent fires in National Parks, presumably to make hunting easier. The NSW Game Council already has a mandate to manage Californian Quail, Pheasant, Chukhar Partridge and Peafowl. It is most possible that in addition to Mynahs and Starlings we will see a new suit of ferals in our environment.
The discussion on the topic of Shooters in National Parks has recently focused on the possibility of normal people doing normal things in National Parks being shot. This is, of course, a real possibility. However I suggest that the environmental damage done by the shooters taking over land set aside for conservation purposes and altering it to suit their needs will be a much more serious problem for conservationists, including birders, in the long term.
A meeting to protest against the deal done between the NSW Government and the Shooters will be held outside Environment Minister Robyn Parkers office at 64 Church Street Maitland NSW next Tuesday July 24 at 1100.
Cheers,
Jim Smart East Maitland NSW
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Neville, the fundamental point is that there is a big difference between an organised and systematic cull that is properly supervised, and ad hoc shooting by a bunch of yahoos.
Regards, Laurie.
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John,
I guess from my point of view it was a principle, and I agree what you say, but whilst we are fighting to stop amateur shooting in NSW NP, in Gluepot they are using the same amateur (an amateur to me is someone who does something as a hobby) not professionals, from the same organisations supporting and pushing for the free for all in NSW parks.
As I understand NSW NP service only used professional shooters in their culling programs.
I guess the big problem is terminology, what’s the difference between a professional shooter, and experienced shooter and a amateur shooter. The fact is Gluepot is using sporting shooters from a sporting Shooters Asso. So why do we object to shooting in NSW NP if the same organisations are wanting access for feral animal control. I’m sure there will be some controls on where they shoot and public access, just as there is for State Forests in NSW. Admittedly its only a notice on a fence post. The Sporting Shooter Assoc. in all states have the same principles and basically the same training programs.
Birdlife is suppose to be the voice for birds in Australia, but condone using non-professional shooters in Gluepot, whilst at the sametime objecting to shooting in NSW National Parks. Bit of a double standard to me.
Neville Schrader