Abolish the Game Council

Please join us and the Greens in calling for the Game Council to be abolished. Sign the petition here.

The following text is taken from the RSPCA NSW’s blog, which you can read here.

"The Game Council of NSW is at it again, this time calling for ‘expressions of interest’ for volunteer hunters to use dogs to hunt feral pigs in NSW State forests. RSPCA NSW today condemned the Game Council’s proposal, saying it flies in the face of the progress made in recent years to improve humaneness in wildlife and pest animal management.

“The RSPCA accepts that in some circumstances there is a need to control introduced animals such as feral pigs, but we firmly believe that any control measures used must be justified, effective and humane,” said RSPCA NSW CEO Steve Coleman. “This is certainly not the case with hunting pigs with dogs.”

“Recreational hunting of pigs does not have any significant effect in reducing the agricultural or environmental impacts of these animals. Pig hunters do not apply their activities in a coordinated manner nor do they target their efforts in ways that would reduce impacts.”

“Pigs hunted with dogs are chased, held down and may be attacked and wounded by the dogs before the hunter is able to dispatch the pig. This is especially likely where dogs are poorly trained or are not called off quickly after they have located the pig. This means that the pig has suffered considerable pain, suffering and distress prior to death. Accredited game hunters (professional game meat harvesters) have an incentive to ensure that the pig is not mauled or injured, as the carcass would not be acceptable for processing. Recreational hunters have no such incentive or requirement for training or applying humane practices.”

“Not only is the use of dogs cruel to the pigs, it also places the dogs themselves in danger of injury and death. Some hunters will treat injured dogs themselves by sewing up their wounds, rather than take them for appropriate veterinary treatment. In addition, pig dogs are frequently lost during hunting and can end up as stray/wild dogs causing stock losses to farmers.”

The RSPCA NSW urges members of the public to contact their local political representatives, including NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell, to voice their disgust at this barbaric form of recreational hunting."