During the recent Inquiry into the hunting of native waterbirds in the state, evidence of this deeply concerning long-term decline of waterbird populations was brought to light.
The Aerial Surveys of Waterbirds in Eastern Australia reveal most “game” populations are in dire decline. In fact, five of the eight ‘game’ species of ducks continue to show significant long-term declines in abundance. In spite of this, the Victorian Government decided to allow the slaughter to continue.
Previously hunted, the Blue-winged Shoveler and Hardhead are now on Victoria’s threatened species list… The Victorian Government cannot afford to wait for more species to be pushed to the brink as others have.
In just the first week of the 2023 shooting season, 73 native waterbirds who were shot and left to die were assessed by Wildlife Victoria’s vet triage team – sadly, all had to be euthanised due to the severity of their gunshot wounds, including eight threatened species illegally shot. It’s estimated over 350,000 ducks were killed in the state in that season alone – not including those wounded and left to die on the wetlands.