| Old Codger 2008-02-18, 5:25 pm |
| As we know, the RSPB instigated the slaughter of the entire European
ruddy duck population, and has since tried to distance itself from the
slaughter claiming it's an EU policy. In fact it was the RSPB that
pushed the EU into taking this unnecessary action.
The country was and still is in uproar over this slaughter based on
Nazi style ethics against wildlife it see's as non native. In human
terms the RSPB would be led by Himmler and we all know what happened
next.
http://tinyurl.com/26qnld
http://tinyurl.com/25uhpc
Duck cull slammed
http://tinyurl.com/2dnm4r
Marksmen have carried out a further cull of Wigan's Ruddy ducks.
The gunmen, working for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs (Defra), shot a total of 24 ducks on Pearson's Flash in
Poolstock early on Wednesday morning.
Paul Timpson from animal rights campaign group the North West Hunt
Saboteurs, which has tried to disrupt previous culls, condemned the
latest killing.
He said: "These ducks have been shot for no reason whatsoever. It is a
sad state of affairs."
The cull took place even though the UK's bird shooting season ended on
February 1. The shooting season ends to allow birds to breed.
But a spokeswoman for Defra said Ruddy ducks were not protected by a
close season as other birds are.
She said marksmen from the Central Sciences Lab (CSL), who carried out
the cull, are licensed by Natural England to undertake control work
all year round.
In previous culls before Christmas, 46 ducks were shot and killed by
marksmen at Pearson's Flash.
It is not known whether any ducks survived the cull.
The Defra spokeswoman said CSL will "make an assessment on whether it
is appropriate to make another visit".
Mr Timpson said he had been contacted by two local residents who
claimed they had come across the marksmen while walking their dog and
said there had been no warning signs to inform members of the public
that shooting was taking place.
He plans to write to Wigan Council to complain, adding: "I would have
thought it would be a legal requirement to put warning signs up."
However the Defra spokesman said: "The safety of people is paramount
and the personnel carrying out such work are highly trained. CSL staff
are equipped with remote control radios and can contact control staff
at all times.
"In the event that public health or safety was perceived to be at
risk, control work is halted immediately.
"CSL undertake risk assessments of all sites before any control work
begins. CSL staff work to Standardised Operating Procedures when
undertaking control work and also have staff present on footpaths and
at entrances to the site.
"The council are aware of these procedures."
The slaughter of Wigan's ruddy ducks has upset many Wigan residents as
the ducks are doing no harm to the environment or other UK wildlife.
But the Spanish are worried that a small number of ruddy ducks are
migrating and breeding with their indigenous white-headed duck. The NW
Hunt Saboteurs has slammed the cull as "a pointless slaughter" which
amounts to the "ethnic cleansing of wildlife."
Defra maintains the ruddy ducks are endangering the long-term future
of the white-headed duck through cross-breeding.
The full article contains 448 words and appears in Wigan Evening Post
newspaper.Last Updated: 15 February 2008 9:05 AM
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