WHILE duck hunters are complaining about the shortened season imposed on them this year equally impacted by the restrictions the COVID-pandemic, on the other side of the equation are those that see duck hunting as animal cruelty.
The Coalition Against Duck Shooting campaign director, Laurie Levy, said today: “Duck shooting is all about violence and cruelty to Australia’s beautiful native waterbirds. Yet to my knowledge, there has never been a single prosecution against a duck shooter for a cruelty offence under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. In other words, duck shooters have always been protected by those in power from cruelty prosecutions.
“Duck shooting is a dying activity that is all about animal abuse. We are hoping footage that has been taken will lead to the first prosecution of a duck shooter for allegedly serious and extreme acts of cruelty under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act,” Levy said.
“The problem is that the Game Management Authority is the sole regulator that can prosecute duck shooters under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, but it has a serious conflict of interest as it is also the manager that advocates and promotes duck shooting in Victoria.”
‘Meanwhile, the RSPCA, that once protected all animals great and small, is not allowed to prosecute duck shooters for cruelty offences,” said Levy.
