ANIMAL FORUM

>For many years Animal Rights advocates have tried to expose the truth
>that CONservation hooligans were coining it in at the taxpayers
>expense in grants and public donations supposedly to protect wildlife,
>but were in fact killing animals and often partnered by pro hunt
>groups. Well now the truth is out.
>
>http://tinyurl.com/29azyr
>
>RSPB hands out licence that lets nature reserve visitors kill up to 10
>birds a day for sport
>Last updated at 11:36am on 11th January 2008
>
>A bird charity has raised eyebrows by letting ducks and geese be shot
>on a nature reserve.
>
>The RSPB hands out shooting licences on its land at Langstone Harbour,
>near Portsmouth, Hants, where wildfowlers can kill up to 10 birds a
>day - for sport.
>
>The shooting has been allowed for years, but was only revealed when a
>pellet-riddled duck carcass was found by a walker.
>
>The charity today defended its decision, saying shoots are very
>carefully monitored and the alternative would be to have illegal
>poachers causing havoc.
>
>But wildlife lovers say it is against what the RSPB stands for -
>protecting birds.
>
>Barry Hugill, from the League Against Cruel Sports, said: I find it
>exceedingly distasteful. Its a wildlife sanctuary.
>
>How on earth can it be a sanctuary if someone is going to come and
>kill the birds that are resident there simply because they enjoy
>killing things?
>
>I think its scandalous and I do hope the RSPB will reconsider their
>decision.
>
>Keen twitcher and conservationist Robert Hill, who discovered a dead
>widgeon duck covered in pellet wounds, is horrified.
>
>There are signs up in Langstone Harbour saying wildfowling takes
>place, but he said it has never been publicly announced.
>
>There is no mention of the shooting licences on the RSPBs website.
>
>Mr Hill, 43, of Waterlooville, Hants, said: I dont think its
>acceptable. Its a blood sport.
>
>I cant see any justification for it. Its a macho, egotistical, self
>gratifying act and I think its disgusting.
>
>No-one owns wildlife. These poor animals come in for sanctuary and
>end up getting blown out of the air.
>
>Local wildfowling group, the Langstone & District Wildfowlers &
>Conservation Association, has had shooting rights on the land since
>1979 and wildfowling has taken place in the harbour since the 1600s.
>
>They are allowed to shoot between September and January on two of five
>islands in Langstone Harbour, which can be accessed by walking across
>the mudflats, and on saltmarshes at the northeast of Farlington
>Marshes.
>
>At the end of each month they have to report every bird shot to the
>RSPB so bird levels can be monitored.
>
>They must not shoot more than 10 birds each in one day, but in reality
>the clubs members say they have only killed a handful of birds
>between them since September.
>
>Chris Cockburn, RSPB warden for Langstone harbour, said: If
>wildfowling was banned the only way we could make it work would be by
>policing it.
>
>The reality is that would be very difficult whereas by licensing it
>we are effectively controlling the amount of shooting that can occur.
>
>At the moment the controls in place are pretty stringent. The
>alternative to the situation we have is grim.
>
>Poaching would be disastrous for the harbour. It would be disastrous
>for the bird populations.
>
>He said one of the rules is that wildfowlers must always have a dog
>with them, which would usually collect up any dead birds.
>
>He added: The RSPB does not have any axe to grind against any sport
>unless it affects the conservation issues and then we would be very
>much against it.
>
>Nick Horten, from the wildfowlers association, said the group carries
>out huge amounts of conservation work in the area and is extremely
>careful about the types of birds they shoot.
>
>All members are vetted by the police and must train for a year before
>they are allowed to shoot alone.
>
>He said: We have been a tenant of the RSPB which is the foremost bird
>conservation group for 30 years and if they had the slightest concern
>about the way we conduct ourselves they would have thrown us off years
>ago.
>
>Wildfowlers also defended their sport saying it is more humane to eat
>a shot duck than a battery farmed chicken.
>
>Nick Horten shoots with the Langstone club and like most wildfowlers
>eats all the birds he shoots.
>
>He said: I prefer to go and shoot a duck thats led a completely wild
>life and that has never been contained or mistreated like a battery
>chicken.
>
>Its the healthiest food you can get. It dies very quickly. I dont
>have a problem with causing its demise.
>
>Im not hypocritical like people who rant against wildfowlers but
>then go to the supermarket and buy a battery chicken.
>
>He said as with other wildfowling groups his does a lot of manual work
>to preserve the harbour area and he said the clubs wardens are
>regularly out and about looking out for people shooting illegally.
>
>When they spot poachers they report them to the police so they can be
>prosecuted. Three were recently spotted on Farlington Marshes and
>reported.
>
>David Knowles, regional director of the British Association for
>Shooting and Conservation, said wildfowling clubs all work very
>closely with conservation bodies to preserve natural areas and often
>wildfowlers are bird lovers as well.
>
>He said: Very few birds are actually shot. Its a very sustainable
>harvest.
>
>There are tens of thousands of widgeon around the south coast and
>probably no more than 300 are shot each year.
>
>Only certain species of bird are legally allowed to be shot in
>Langstone Harbour by those with a licence. Others, such as Brent
>Geese, are protected
>
>More details about the RSPB and other CONservation hooligans can be
>seen at
>
>
>http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=rspb+slaughter&meta=
>
>http://tinyurl.com/2xgmbg
>
>THIS is where our donations are really going and I for one will no
>longer be supporting them.
>