Children allowed to hunt solo
By Jamie Cummins (with Angela Owens)
Unsupervised children could be allowed to hunt feral animals on state owned land under new regulations proposed by the NSW Government.
The new regulations will allow children between the ages of 12 and 18 to hunt unsupervised in NSW forests for feral animals.
The laws governing hunting and gaming in NSW have come under review, with the new proposals being outlined in documents released today.
The new hunting regulations do not include the use of firearms, but do allow the use of a bowie knife and/or a dog.
Greens Member for the NSW Upper House, David Shoebridge says the new regulations are the latest in a push by the NSW Game Council to foster a hunting culture in the state.
"The best way they see of doing that is introducing more and more kids to hunting," he said.
"The idea they've got here is a 12 year old can finish school, put the schoolbag down, pick up three pig dogs and a bowie knife and get into our state forests and stab pigs to death, it's a pretty ugly culture."
The CEO of the Game Council of NSW, Brian Boyle, disagrees and believes that the changes will allow children to lead more active lifestyles.
"I think most people would far sooner see kids out hunting and getting into the natural environment with their parents or family than sitting in front of the computer playing computer games," he said.
Mr Boyle also believes that the changes to the regulations will ensure the welfare of hunted animals by making sure they are killed humanely.
"Two people getting in close, maybe under 30 metres, will more likely disturb the animal... if the animal's disturbed you could have a chance that the animal moves and the shot is not perfect, so it is about animal welfare concerns," he said.
NSW forests are used for a number of recreational activities including camping and bushwalking, and Mr Shoebridge believes that changing the regulations could make the areas more dangerous for everybody.
"I think most people would be very disturbed that you could have children as young as 12 with quite dangerous animals and dangerous weapons in our state forests," he said.
However, Mr Boyle from the Game Council believes that minors who are taught how to hunt safely from a young age will be responsible enough to do so unsupervised.
"Before they get to do that, they still have to have their parent's permission to be able to do that and the parents are the best people placed to make that decision," he said.
http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2012/05/04/3495781.htm?site=centralwestGreat stuff Bazza! 12 year olds out in our state forests with their knives and their dogs.
What the hell is he thinking??
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