Helicopter Deer Hunting Inflicting Cruel Death On Fawns

Commercial wild deer recovery operators are killing female deer leaving newly born fawns to die a slow lingering death says a national sporting hunters organisation.

Laurie Collins of the West Coast, spokesman for the Sporting Hunters Outdoor Trust, (SHOT) said reports indicated helicopter operators were shooting adult hinds. He said the Department of Conservation had a responsibility to instruct helicopter operators not shoot hinds. Because of the practice government could be accused of “double standards” over animal cruelty.

“Government is rightly introducing animal welfare laws. And the recent calf cruelty case has been criticised by the Minister of Primary Industries as being due to rogue operators. Wild animals have the same feelings as farm animals”

But if government was sincere about animal welfare and stamping out cruelty, it must deal with “rogue” helicopter operators who were responsible for “murdering” fawns by starvation.

“The Department of Conservation should ban the shooting of hinds between November and March,” he said.”If anyone is caught doing that, then heavy penalties should result.”

Laurie Collins said SHOT strongly urged recreational hunters to not shoot hinds during the fawn rearing season.

“There’s no excuse for anyone, commercial or non-commercial, to shoot a hind from November to March,” he said.

New Zealand had low populations of wild deer and there was no over-population problem with the animals. Landcare Research estimated there were 250,000 wild deer in New Zealand, about one-sixth of the UK’s wild deer numbers.

Laurie Collins said allied in instances where commercial operators had been approached by concerned hunters and even farmers about the cruelty, there had been an aggressive reaction.

“This is a cruel, callous practice going on and damaging to New Zealand’s clean, green reputation.”

He said overseas countries which practiced deer management and selective harvesting would be appalled at the indiscriminate slaughter of hinds rearing newly born fawns.

ENDS

© Scoop Media