The Victorian state government has unequivocally shown that it does not represent the people of Victoria. Despite last year’s Parliamentary Inquiry recommending a permanent ban after receiving over 10,000 submissions that gave overwhelming evidence of the unsustainable brutality of duck shooting another season has been called – a full three month season, with a bag limit of 9 native birds a day, with shooting allowed to take place before sunrise and after sunset when it’s too dark to know what is being shot at. The length of the season, the bag limit and the shooting hours have all been increased. I am numb with despair and disgust.
I’m sorry blackies, sorry that as you are predominantly vegetarian shooters find you tastier than some other species.
I’m sorry Wood Ducks. I love seeing your little families tumble from the hollow in my huge Mahogany Gum, and I love seeing how brilliantly you nurture your ducklings and keep them as safe as you can.
I’m sorry tiny Pink-eared Ducks that are so often shot and abandoned.
I’m sorry Australian Shelduck. I’ve seen for myself how a lone member of a family group grieves when the others are shot. They were shot and abandoned without even being ‘breasted’. These ducks mate for life, pairing up even when they are too young to reproduce.
Despite dangerous levels of PFAS being found in several ‘game’ bird species that renders them unsafe for human consumption they can still be shot. Warnings for specific wetlands have included: “waterfowl should not be eaten” and “children should limit their consumption of waterfowl breast meat to one serve (one serve = 75g for children) per month and adults and children should not eat liver”. These birds can still be shot on those wetlands, and these birds can fly, so arguably should be considered dangerous in other areas too.
I can’t look at this photograph without thinking of the many Grey Teal that are shot and abandoned. They either die needlessly or needlessly and painfully. Wildlife Victoria and Vets for Compassion do a truly wonderful job of triaging, euthanising and treating the birds that are wounded during duck shooting seasons. The Coalition Against Duck Shooting rescuers led by Laurie Levy, and Regional Victorians Opposed to Duck Shooting are truly inspiring, please support them in any way you can.
The UNSW Annual Eastern Australia Waterbird Survey results indicated that waterbird numbers were down almost 50% in October 2024 from the previous year – “287,231 birds in this year’s survey, down from 579,641 birds in 2023”. Hundreds of thousands of native waterbirds are killed each duck shooting season – and yet Jacinta Allan called a full season, with increased days and higher bag limits.
The UNSW survey expressed concerns about how dry the wetlands are and how little breeding there was in 2023 and 2024 – and yet Jacinta Allan called a full season.
Our environment is suffering, bushfires are still burning in the Grampians and the Little Desert – and yet Jacinta Allan called a full season.
I have written many previous articles about duck shooting, including Season of Shame, and Hope amongst Horror. It’s not just game birds that are impacted but the many other birds that are killed and injured including raptors, swans, coot, Freckled Duck, Blue-billed Duck, cormorants, avocet and pelicans. As proclaimed on stickers on many of the shooters’ vehicles ‘If it flies it dies’.
I am devastated, Kim
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This is an outrage! This savage art must be stopped immediately! Hunters, go find something else to do!
It is totally outrageous, devastatingly outrageous and sickening that anyone finds joy in killing innocent wildlife.
OMG Kim!! I’m so outraged that they’ve done this to our feathered friends. What can we ever do that will make them stop and listen to us?
More of the same Tess, and hope that someone with a heart and mind makes the decision next time.
This breaks my heart, and sickens me with despair. How can this barbaric annual event continue after decades slaughtering innocent ducks (and other species of birds) for no other reason than the thrill of the kill. So many birds left to die a slow death because too many shooters don’t make a clean kill. Ducks are not an introduced pest, and are not eating out our vegetable gardens and turning our properties into a moonscape like rabbits are doing, yet there is no rabbit shooting season.
One wonders if our premier would see it differently should she be forced to go on a duck shooting weekend to see first hand the cruelty of it all. Let her go and retrieve dead and dying birds from the reeds, and ask her if she still thinks this is not a barbaric sport.
I understand your first sentence Susan, and your other sentences too actually! Your comment about rabbits reminds me of asking an ex-shooter why duck shooters couldn’t shoot foxes instead. He said because that takes skill, that it’s a totally different activity. He pointed out that with duck shooting a bunch of mates go out together, often drinking, often noisy, and that shooting ducks only needs them to use decoys and callers, and then to point a shotgun in the general direction of the flock and it’s likely that some of the 100s of pellets will hit. Whereas with fox hunting they’d need to be quiet and patient, and they’d have one chance with one bullet. Sadly I’m not sure that the premier would be sickened. I have a feeling that she’s one of a minority of Victorians who is blase about the suffering.
Perhaps the new Liberal leader should be asked the question…for or against?
in the meantime, we suffer the incompetent flock of fools, bumbling from one disaster to the next.
It would be good if they were against it but only a couple of them have spoken against it, and historically in other states it has been Labor governments that have banned it.
Feeling guttered to hear this Kim. Had been waiting for the decision and thought that in light of the petition, the inquiry and public outrage that we may see an end to this slaughter.Can’t believe that it’s worse than last year. What an ignorant government we have.
It beggars belief doesn’t it Marg. I keep thinking that JA should have excused herself as having a conflict of interest rather than push her wishes through parliament in such an outrageous way.
I agree with yours and all the other comments, a truly terrible decision by Jacinta Allan and her cohorts.
Thank you Paul, it helps so much to hear from others who feel the same way.
Appalling!
You are so right Noel!
Thank you for informing me of this devastating decision, Kim. There are no words to express my disgust and disillusionment.
Regards,
Liz
I was genuinely concerned that I would have no words when trying to write about it Liz. I was, and am, numb with the horror of it,’disgust and disillusionment’ sums it up.
It’s becoming alarmingly obvious that there are a helluva lot of undiagnosed psychopaths out there in the community. To enjoy killing innocent animals for fun, is a key indicator for psychopathy. To have our Premier sanctioning – even encouraging – this cruel and mindless slaughter is sickening. Mark my words, Kim – in 10 years time, these sadistic hunters will be meeting up with their mates, guns cocked at an empty sky. They will have no option, but to indulge in a frenzy of clay pigeon shooting. Why? Because there will be no more wild ducks left.
That is a truly devastating thought Deirdre, but is exactly what happened with Passenger Pigeons. That migratory species used to blacken the sky for days when migrating and were shot to extinction… why can’t people care more about wildlife and less about some momentary pleasure for themselves?
My heart breaks again. How many more years must we endure a Government that won’t even take the advice from an inquiry that they commissioned?
Oh Andrew, you are so right. And I felt quite desperate to hear from a kindred spirit before heading to sleep, so thank you for caring and commenting, Kim