‘Make this year’s Duck Hunting Season the Last’

Media release – Independent Member for Clark, Andrew Wilkie, Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary director Greg Irons and vet Dr Alex Kreiss, 4 March 2021

STATE-SANCTIONED DUCK SLAUGHTER MUST END

“Over the three-month Tasmanian hunting season, almost 50,000 ducks will be shot,” Mr Wilkie said. “Some will be killed outright, but as many as 13,000 will be wounded and left to suffer a slow and painful death. This isn’t sport, it’s state-sanctioned slaughter.

“Shockingly, a survey of licenced duck hunters in Victoria last year found 80 per cent of hunters could not tell the difference between permitted and non-target species, and only one in 10 had any idea of how to humanely kill wounded birds. And, according to Jan Davis of the RSPCA, there’s no reason to believe the situation is any better in Tasmania.

“There’s no way to hunt ducks humanely because there will always be a significant margin of error, which means there will always be wounded creatures dying in agony and there will always be the risk of hunters hitting the wrong bird. Dr Kreiss can share his experiences of treating wildlife injured during the Victorian duck hunt.

“I join with a great many Tasmanians in calling on the State Government to make this year’s duck-hunting season the last. Victoria has shortened its season, while New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia banned this blood sport years ago. It’s cruel, it’s unnecessary, and it should be outlawed in Tasmania as well.”

Mr Irons added: “I can’t believe people are permitted to kill native wildlife under the deplorable guise of a ‘leisure activity’. The designated hunting reserves are also safety zones for many other species that are already under threat. The sooner we stop this barbaric practice, the better.”

Media release – Animal Justice Party, 4 March 2021

Saving ducks from open day slaughter

On Saturday 6 March 2021 at 05:59 the duck shooting season will start in Tasmania. Although this
violent and cruel practice has lost its social license, the Minister for Primary Industries, Guy Barnett,
has approved the season again as a recreational activity.

The Animal Justice Party strongly opposes any killing of native wildlife, but the labelling of it as a
recreational activity compounds the horror.

Animal Justice Party volunteers and candidate for the Legislative Council seat of Derwent, Ivan Davis,
will join other volunteers from Animals Tasmania, the Tasmanian Conservation Trust and Animal
Liberation Tasmania at Moulting Lagoon Reserve from 5.00am on Saturday, peacefully protesting
against this senseless violence.

At 2pm, 5th March 2021, the Animal Justice Party will be holding a joint media conference with
Animals Tasmania at Parliament House Gardens, Parliament Square, Salamanca Place, to present
our case for the end to this outdated and inhumane practice and call on the government to ban duck
hunting permanently.

Media Release ― Animals Tasmania, 4 March 2021

Ducks Deserve Protection in Difficult Times

Animals Tasmania is calling on the Premier to protect native ducks ahead of the 2020 duck shooting season. Recent conditions across much of Australia are some of the worst seen in decades by native waterbirds.

Chris Simcox spokesperson for Animals Tasmania said: “The appeal has gone out to Minister Guy Barnett to end duck shooting in Tasmania. So far he is refusing to acknowledge the science and is allowing a full open season this year. We are now looking to the Premier to provide native ducks with the protections they so deserve.”

Evidence from aerial surveys across most of eastern Australia show that native waterbirds are in serious trouble due to continued dry conditions in most significant wetland areas. This is on top of the usual violence and suffering that is typical of duck shooting. Governments in Victoria and South Australia, in recognition of the severity of the situation, have restricted permitted duck shooting activities in those States.

Mr Simcox continued, “We are asking the Premier Mr Peter Gutwein to intervene and stop the killing. We are asking this for the sake of native ducks across Australia. Ducks in Tasmania may have flown from as far away as New South Wales. Regardless, no native duck should have it’s life cut short by a shotgun blast.”

Mr Simcox concluded, “We will be on the wetlands one hour before sunrise ready to save the lives of native ducks this coming Saturday when the shooting begins again.”

TASMANIAN TIMES: Duck Season Declared.