Ban the SWAN SLAUGHTER in New Zealand
- by: The Wellington Anti Cull Coalition
- recipient: The Department of Conservation and Fish & Game
Each year, New Zealand authorities commission shooters to kill these birds in the Bay of Plenty (BoP) region. Birds that are merely injured are left to die slow, painful deaths. The offspring of adults also suffer death by starvation.
Authorities claim that these birds have detrimental environmental damage to NZ arguing among other claims that the birds damage grass in the sea beds. We believe that such claims are grossly exaggerated to the public in attempt to justify the shoot which has now become a glorified sporting event with shooters boasting that they use the dead birds to make sausages, patties and salami.
Incidentally, NZ is currently (October 2011) experiencing its worse maritime disaster as toxic oil spews out of the stranded ship Rena into the Bay of Plenty. Most of us know that Nature has well-established, equilibrium-restoring facilities for sustaining the essential biological needs of all plant and animal life; she excels at biodegrading faecal matter and replenishing sea-grass consumed by grazing animals. She does however struggle when we humans dump toxic, non-biodegradable poisons into the planet’s fragile ecosystems. If New Zealand authorities are prepared to violently take the lives of animals that are simply doing what -at least when we last checked- we humans also do in order to survive (eat and defecate), it makes me wonder how our BoP authorities should best deal with the individuals responsible for a disaster of this magnitude. And how too should we deal with our appointed, salary-earning BoP authorities who made a conscious decision to delay addressing the spill several days before it became much too late?
Regardless of our Government’s inflated claims regarding environmental damage caused by the Black Swans, the method of control is barbaric, cruel and offensive to those who visit this country. We want authorities to conduct research into humane, non-lethal approaches to the problem that they perceive to exist.
See news link: http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/black-swan-shoot-leaves-residents-outraged-4185143
This petition was started before realising that another similar one on this site was already under way (Titled: Stop the Slaughter of Swans!). We urge you to sign both as they have different targets and this will go a long way in adding to the strengths of both petitions.
Footage from the 2013 shoot can be seen here (Footage courtesy of Carlie Jackson): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNA-3oaOJ10&feature=youtu.be
We the undersigned are strongly opposed to the annual shootings of Black Swans in New Zealand.
We believe that these killings are cruel and inhumane. Many of these birds are simply wounded and left to dies slow, painful deaths. Their offspring are also left to suffer after their parents are killed.
We understand that local media have reported opposition from local residents in the Bay of Plenty region. Tourists who were interviewed by the media have already claimed to never return to New Zealand as a consequence of witnessing this event. We support a tourism boycott of New Zealand unless officials act immediately to ban this event in the future. New Zealand MUST employ a humane and non-lethal approach to the problem.
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