Australia: TV Spots Against Hobby Hunters

In Australia, a powerful coalition has formed to pressure the country's government into banning duck hunting.

The group, called «Regional Victorians Opposed to Duck Shooting», has aired a series of television commercials broadcast across the entire state.

Residents speak out about negative impacts

Residents and business owners living near wetlands describe in the four TV spots how their lives are negatively affected by hobby hunting, reports the Mail-Times.

The group says its members had previously written numerous letters and requested meetings with the state government, without success. The television advertising will now run “as long as possible.”

“The duck hunting debate often centres on animal welfare and the alleged rights of hobby hunters to enjoy their freedom in their leisure time, but there is a third significant stakeholder whose collective voice goes unnoticed,” said a spokesperson.

“We are those of us who own property, live, work and raise families in these communities. For at least three out of twelve months, our daily lives and businesses are disrupted. Our basic human rights to live and work in peace and without fear take a back seat to the rights of a minority who enjoy shooting our native waterfowl.”

Fewer than 0.4% of the population hunt ducks

“It is a big deal for us to speak plainly in these TV spots, knowing that the shooting lobby will inevitably target us, but we are tired of being the hidden victims of duck shooting.”

The latest licensing statistics from wildlife management authorities show that in 2016, fewer than 0.4 percent, or 25’646 license holders, of the Victorian population went duck hunting.

In New South Wales, Western Australia, Queensland, and the Australian Capital Territory, recreational duck hunting is prohibited. More on the animal welfare problem of hobby hunting.