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WPSQ wants you to say to the Queensland government, 'Don't have another duck season.'
The Environmental Protection Agency is about to decide whether or not to prepare a new Duck and Quail Management Plan. The existing plan will expire next year. Now is the time to take the next step to ban duck and quail hunting in Queensland.
WPSQ does not want a new plan. No new plan means there will be no duck and quail shooting season in 2005. A new plan will allow shooting of duck and quail in 2005 and beyond.
What to do
Write to the Queensland government and ask it not to prepare a new plan. Act now to prevent the plan being prepared.
Who to write to
Write to the Queensland government to ask it to ban duck and quail hunting permanently. Write to the Premier Peter Beattie, Queensland Minister for the Environment Desley Boyle and your local Queensland MP.
Hon. Peter Beattie MP
Premier and Minister for Trade
POB 185 Brisbane Albert Street
Q 4002 |
Hon. Desley Boyle MP
Minister for the Environment, Local Government, Planning and Women
POB 31 Brisbane Albert Street
Q 4002 |
What to write
About Duck Hunting.....
Licensing Shooters licenses are issued by the Environmental Protection Agency. Hunters must pass an observation test to show they identify species that can be hunted and protected species.
Legislation The Animal Care and Protection Act 2001 prohibits animal any form of animal cruelty. However, the Nature Conservation Act 1992 specifically allows these protected species to be hunted during the season.
Why hunt ducks? Hunting ducks is a traditional country or cultural pursuit. Hunters say that they take birds that would otherwise have to be culled - under damage mitigation permits - because these birds can harm lucerne and other agricultural crops. Land put aside for hunting is managed to encourage wildlife outside the hunting season.
When you write, include some or all of these facts in your letter.
- The EPA's resources are limited and should not be wasted planning for the slaughter of birds that are protected for 9 months of the year.
- EPA staff should be working for the benefit of wildlife, not establishing elaborate systems to allow 400 people to kill birds for 'sport'.
- Duck hunting is already banned in New South Wales, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.
- Current community attitudes do not support hunting with guns.
- Waterfowl population numbers have dropped since the mid-1980s.
Waterfowl habitat is being lost so bird population numbers are dropping.
- Rainfall is predicted to be only average or lower, so bird breeding rates will drop.
- Shooting birds can lead to their slow, painful death.
Birds other than the targeted duck or quail are also shot at, injured, maimed and killed by hunting.
- We do not know enough about the damage and disturbance that hunting does to other animals.
- Hunting duck and quail with little care for their welfare directly conflicts with the Animal Care and Protection Act 2001.
For more information on Wildlife Queensland's activities, contact us by email or call +61 7 3221 0194.
Wildlife Queensland - October 2004 |
