2018-03-23
Victorian Greens spokesperson for Animal Justice, Sue Pennicuik, says the state’s waterbirds are far from safe following the opening weekend of this year’s duck shooting season.
A relatively quiet opening weekend has sparked concern that Victoria’s duck shooters will treat tomorrow as their unofficial opening.
Ms Pennicuik has written to state Agriculture Minister, Jaala Pulford, requesting information on how much enforcement will be in place across the wetlands for the remainder of the season, particularly this weekend and over Easter.
“We’re hearing that shooters might be planning to avoid the scrutiny of an increased presence of police and protesters by holding off their assault for a week,” Ms Pennicuik said.
“We’ve already seen reports that a bag of rubbish and a bag of dead ducks was left on the Western Highway last weekend. Even with the increased scrutiny this year, it’s clear that there is no such thing as a responsible duck shooter.”
“The fact is that until this barbaric practice is banned, Victoria’s waterbirds are at risk of suffering a horrific death at the hands of duck shooters,” Ms Pennicuik said.
Media contact: Sue Pennicuik: 03 9530 8399