For twelve weeks a year Australia's picturesque wetlands — usually peaceful havens and home for our unique wildlife — are transformed into killing fields...
Native ducks and even endangered and 'protected' birds like swans are gunned down by shooters, their fragile bodies peppered with gunshot. Many are maimed and left for dead, with broken limbs and punctured internal organs.
The 'lucky' ones are killed instantly. The unlucky ones — an estimated one out of every four birds shot — will suffer for days or even weeks before finally succumbing to their injuries.
Perhaps most shocking of all? This cruelty is inflicted upon defenceless animals in the name of a 'sport' that the majority of caring Australians oppose.
In 2007 and 2008, waterbird numbers were dangerously low and conditions were dry, so the duck shooting seasons were cancelled in Victoria and South Australia. Conditions in 2016 were even worse, but — flying in the face of all credible scientific evidence — state governments still permitted the shooting season to go ahead.
Get more details from the 2017 season »
Duck shooting has already been banned in Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia due to extreme cruelty. Now you can help inspire compassion for our precious native waterbirds by demanding an end to duck shooting across the rest of Australia.
Please join us to call on the governments of VIC, SA, TAS and the NT, urging them to protect our unique wildlife by banning duck shooting »
Friday, March 24th, 2017
Shooters have been banned from four of Victoria's most popular wetlands, including the Koorangie Game Reserve, where we reported live from 'opening weekend' — and where hundreds of native waterbirds were massacred or left for dead over just two days of shooting.
The decision came just hours after we lodged the most extensive legal complaint to date, detailing shocking cruelty and illegal shooter behaviour.
Tragically, this closure comes too late to save the dozens of endangered and 'protected' Blue-billed and Freckled ducks who were slaughtered on opening weekend, but thousands more waterbirds will now find safe haven in the wetlands.
This is a great win for animals, but we still have work to do.
Wednesday, March 29th, 2017
ABC's 7.30 program features volunteer rescuers from the Coalition Against Duck Shooting, detailing their discovery of mass graves in Victoria's wetlands — where hundreds of waterbirds have been killed, then dumped by shooters. The Game Managerment Authority are no under pressure to increase their scrunity of shooters abilities. This would include, at the very least, tests where shooters must be able to accurately identify bird species — along with marksmanship tests to prove they can actually shoot straight. Add your voice to the call for stricter shooter regulation here!