Hiya everyone, Here is a copy of the e mail I have just sent to Mr Melding, regarding yesterdays Game to eat event. Ill let you know if/when I get a response. Mr Meldings e mail address is :[email protected] Dear Mr Melding, Please allow me to state my utter disappointment and regret that both you and other AM’s have attended a “game to eat” event yesterday. I understand that whilst you may argue that the gaming and shooting industry promotes itself to have ‘ethical’ attributes of game, I feel that the other side of the argument, that is the animal suffering hidden behind the statistics should be published and distributed and used to challenge what is advertised as an ethical industry. For example, Intensive rearing Every year, tens of millions of pheasants and partridges are bred to supply live targets for shooting. The birds are subject to chronic overcrowding, resulting in stress-related behavioural problems, including cannibalism. The aggression seen in the birds is managed by the use of bits and masks. Even the British Association of Shooting and Conservation (BASC) have been forced to acknowledge that some current rearing conditions are unacceptable. Insufficient research has been done on the environmental impacts of mass releases of gamebirds and this should be addressed. However, it has been estimated that the autumnal release of reared gamebirds represents a pheasant biomass 600% greater than all other UK birds together. Clearly, this cannot be good for biodiversity. Of the tens of millions of birds released, less than half are actually shot by paying customers. The remainder die of disease, are taken by predators, killed on the roads or otherwise disappear. Injuries Shooting by amateurs, the deliberate selection of difficult shots (such as high shoots), and the shooting of moving animals and birds will inevitably lead to wounding. Even a wounding rate as low as two in every hundred (2%) would suggest that hundreds of thousands of gamebirds are wounded each year. Predator control Many shooting estates seek to maximise the birds available for shooting by killing predators. Persecution of endangered birds of prey on shooting estates is a widely acknowledged problem. Shoots are responsible for the slaughter of millions of mammals and birds every year in an attempt to prolong the lives of the gamebirds so that they may become feathered targets. Extrapolation from the Game Conservancy Trusts own research suggests that, on average during the year, as many as 12,300 mammals and birds are snared, trapped, shot or poisoned every day. These millions of sentient victims of commercial shoots have included protected badgers, foxes, hares, stags, owls and kestrels, as well as untargeted domestic livestock and pets. While some of this wildlife slaughter, undertaken by gamekeepers at the behest of shooting estate owners, is illegal, much is currently legal. Snaring Animals caught in snare suffer terrible stress and can sustain horrific injuries. In their desperate bid to escape, they can be disembowelled by the wire, wrench bones out of sockets and even chew through their own limbs. A survey of vets, wildlife crime officers and Scottish SPCA Inspectors published in November 2007, found that 90% believed that animals caught in snares had suffered. Legal snares (known as free-running snares) are not intended to kill immediately, so animals can be trapped and left suffering for hours, event days, before whoever set the trap returns to put them out of their misery. Snares are used mainly on shooting estates to protect game birds, reared for shooting. Thousands of animals are wiped out every day to protect shooting interest. Snaring is indiscriminate. It is not possible to control which animals will be caught in a snare. Pets, including dogs and cats, also fall victim to snares. Badgers, otters, hares, deer, and livestock have also suffered terrible injuries or been killed by snares. The Independent Working Group on Snares 2005 report estimated that 21-69% of victims were non-target species and concluded it was difficult to reduce it to less than 40%. I hope that you agree that the information provided argues that the gaming/hunting/shooting industry is not ethical and can and does cause significant harm to our wildlife and natural biodiversity here in Wales and throughout the UK. Myself and others campaign tirelessly to raise awareness of such barbaric practices and whilst I am not trying to undermine or remove anyone’s livelihoods, I hope you will understand and agree that such methods of killing are unnecessary in what is known as a civilized society. I struggle to understand how such barbaric practices can be promoted as ethical, healthy, sustainable etc. when underpinning the whole industry is cruelty, suffering and a blatant disregard for life so that others can profit from such misery. The hunting/gaming/shooting industry are polarized in their views with people like myself and Animal welfare charities such as the League Against Cruel Sports, we realise this and welcome open and honest debate, dialogue and positive discourse surrounding such a contentious issue. We will continue to campaign, research and publish our findings until we are able to successfully change policy, awareness and the law regarding cruel sports. Thank you for taking the time to read my e mail. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely Tracy Barrington.
Posted on: Wed, 27 Nov 2013 16:12:40 +0000
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