No Hunting in National Parks - I didn't go, but many of my friends were there

The NSW Parliament has been the scene of a series of protests recently.

The biggest one I know of was the "Our Land, our Water" rally opposed to mining and CSG versus farming and the despoiling of rivers and aquifers. That was back on May 1.

A few days ago, it was opposition to large-scale sackings and redundancies of NSW Public Servants and my mates, the NPWS officers.

And today, many of the same people were there again, to protest the NSW Shooters and Fishing Party's proposal for hunting in National Parks.

Skippy amuses this Boy in Blue.
Good humour is important
when running a Revolution.
Nice work, Skippy.

I didn't make the trip, but I did send off some briefing notes to Cate Faehrmann MLC and her staffers (in response to their requests).
 

In particular, I was fascinated by the honesty of the New Zealand Hunters.

• HUNTING ACCIDENTS         INVESTIGATE: JUL 03 They act before they think, almost pre-programmed to shoot on reflex
• HAMISH CARNACHAN investigates the campaign to stop hunters killing each other in the bush
• An important factor, according to Green, is a little-known phenomenon he refers to as "buck fever", which he describes as "a psychological state whereby the hunter’s desire to shoot their quarry is so strong that it overrides all rational thinking".
  Speak to any hunter and they will invariably detail the concentration, often required for hours on end or even days, which goes into stalking a deer. Nerves are taut, the atmosphere intense, it’s all part of the primal thrill of the hunt. Green says when a hunter is "wound up" during the chase any unnatural distraction can draw a snapshot, in some cases with tragic consequences.
• Source: http://www.investigatemagazine.com/jul03hunt.htm

And those are not my words, but the words of New Zealand hunters.

And then there is a very powerful article entitled: "How to avoid shooting your Mate".

• In the Oct-Nov 2003 addition of “NZ Outdoor” Murray Dench wrote an excellent article titled “How to Avoid Shooting Your Mate”. If you read this article you would know that the hunter in my story acted questionably on at least two occasions. Finally, when considering the disturbing circumstance of the recent fatal shootings, I draw your attention to the title of this article. Title: "Shooting your mate"
• NZ Hunting Information
  http://www.nzhuntinginfo.com/printPage.php?pageName=./articles/could

If you wish to sign the petition or write to the relevant politicians about Hunting in National Parks you can go to this site: http://nohunting.wildwalks.com/

If you are on Facebook, you can view many photos in Cate Faehrmann's Photo Gallery here.

An Open Letter to Mr Gareth Ward MLA re Hunting in National Parks

This is an open letter to Mr Gareth Ward MLA, my Local Member.

It is  a copy of an email I have sent to him directly.
This matter will be debated in the NSW Upper House on Thursday.

There will be a rally against Hunting in National Parks in Sydney on Thursday

• RALLY: No hunting in NSW National Parks, 11am Thurs 14 June, Parliament House, Sydney

*****

Mr Gareth Ward MLA
Member for Kiama.

Dear Gareth

It will come as no surprise to you that I am vehemently opposed to the proposal to permit hunting in National Parks.

I have written to the Premier, pointing out that Hunting is the complete antithesis of what National Parks are supposed to be about.
I have heard nothing back from him .

I have written to Minister Parker, and received a routine acknowledgement, but no substantive reply.

You may be aware that in New Zealand, where deer hunting is very popular, as many as 8 people have been killed in hunting accidents in the last 10 years.

• 8 deaths and 3 serious injuries have been recorded in NZ  during the deer  hunting season over the last ten years. In the same time 25 people in Oz have been killed in hunting accidents. 11 accidentally shot themselves, 5 shot their companions,  8 were killed in vehicle accidents whilst hunting. One managed to stab himself. In one case, in Victoria a  man died after his companion mistook him for a deer  and fired twice, shooting him in the back of the head.

The claim by the Game Council that the hunters will be trained, expert hunters is not enough to persuade me that it is no risk to the public, let alone to the native fauna. Furthermore, the hunters pose an unwitting threat to the many endangered species of plants which are found within Morton National Park, which might be damaged by accidental trampling by people who have no idea of the value of many of these seemingly "insignificant-looking plants" (which are precious, of course).

You will be well aware that between Kiama and Robertson, the Morton National Park covers a vast area of pristine forest and escarpment terrain. I regularly access that Park, from Belmore Falls, or Manning Lookout, close to Robertson, or from further afield, near Badgery's Lookout (via Tallong). But I also can enter that Park from Kangaroo Valley, or via Budgong Road (from Nowra side, via Illaroo Road and Budgong Rd, or Budgong Fire Trail). See linked map.

So, my question is how can the National Parks and Wildlife Service or the Game Council of NSW ensure that I, as a casual user of the Park, can be protected when Hunters are given permission to hunt with high-powered rifles, in any area of this vast and remote Park?

As local member, you will be aware that there is no single media source which covers the entire area - so public announcements would be limited in effectiveness.

There are several main roads (Nowra-Moss Vale Road and Main Road 92) which cross the Morton National Park. Surely, from an economic perspective, those roads cannot be closed to suit the whim of the Hunters?

I would be grateful of your support in opposing this proposal.

Please pass my representations to the Premier and to the Minister for the Environment.

Incidentally, I find the photo provided by Mr Robert Borsak MLC to the Sydney Morning Herald and the Daily Telegraph to be truly depraved. Yet, he is sufficiently insensitive to send the media those offensive images (in a manner which can only be described as "bragging" about killing a magnificent animal).

I would anticipate that from a purely aesthetic point of view you would find this issue abhorrent. I know I do.

See the linked Daily Telegraph story.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/angry-mps-email-voter-stampede/story-e6freuy9-1226254554203

• Robert Borsak in Bulawayo.
• Picture: Supplied

Are you happy to be associated with the values that photograph demonstrates?
 

Effectively, if you support this Hunting in National Parks issue, you would be supporting Mr Borsak and his values (or lack of them) as demonstrated by him providing (to the media) this photograph of himself with his "kill".

Denis Wilson
Robertson NSW 2577

******

Dear Blog Readers:

If you agree with the view in this email, you might like to follow up by signing the on-line petition:
http://nohunting.wildwalks.com/

If you wish to write to your local member, you may check the addresses on the NSW Parliament site.

One final query: Why have the Animal Rights activists in Australia remained silent (or seemingly so) on this issue?

Denis Wilson

*****

My previous postings on this issue may be found below:

• http://www.peonyden.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/for-this-update-on-nsw-hunting.html
• http://www.peonyden.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/hunting-in-national-parks-press-links.html
• http://www.peonyden.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/hunting-in-national-parks-will-you-be.html

Deer, Oh Dear!

Feral Deer are a declared threat to certain classes of habitat in NSW. In fact there are six species known in NSW.

Kim had shown us some shrubby trees which has been killed by deer by stripping off the bark. We were surprised, for although we knew Kim had seen Deer on her property, we were not expecting to see trees killed by the Deer.

First we saw evidence - and then there was "proof positive"!

This young buck is probably a Fallow Deer, judging by the markings, the ears and the long tail, prominently used as an alarm signal. "A black dorsal stripe extends down the tail and around the area at the base of the tail but the under-tail is white and quite distinctive when raised in alarm." (Aust. Deer Association - Fallow Deer). Mature Fallow Deer "bucks" have a distinctive broad set of antlers. but this is a young animal, and is not carrying the distinctive antlers - but it does not have other characteristics of the Red Deer - which is the next most likely species. So, I call it as "probably" a Fallow Deer - but I am not an expert on deer identification. I am happy to be corrected. This youngster has lost one side of the set of antlers, so he looks lop-sided.

This young Deer, having studied us, decided to move away.
It had a stiff gait - almost a set of "springing movements".

It is well reported that they like revegetation areas: " ... grazing fallow can live quite comfortably in open country, but like to have timbered cover available. They are most successful in semi-developed country, along the edge of forested areas or in regeneration areas where first-order regrowth species, such as bracken fern and wattle, are dominant."

When it got to a safe distance from us, it stopped to check us out
and then headed off to a regeneration area looking for fresh vegetation.

Kim and Peter have created a nice environment for these Deer. Oh dear! That was not the intention.