Don't let Victoria become 'The Trophy Hunting State'!

The Victorian government wants to turn parts of the state into the private hunting grounds of international 'trophy hunters' who have their targets locked on our wildlife. Take action to protect these threatened and vulnerable animals now!

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Every year hundreds of thousands of tourists flock to Victoria to experience its cultural centres and cosmopolitan cities. To be awed by natural wonders from The Twelve Apostles to the Grampians — and to admire the state's diverse and beautiful wildlife.

But now the state government wants to add 'killing animals' to the list of Victoria's tourist attractions, hatching a cruel and controversial plan to lure international 'trophy hunters' down under.

Under the guise of 'conservation hunting', this proposal is nothing more than licensed cruelty — with any claims that recreational hunting keeps wildlife populations in check patently untrue.

Whether shot with guns or bows and arrows, the risk of cruelty and prolonged suffering for animals pursued in the name of 'sport' is significant. Animals injured by arrows frequently suffer blood poisoning or severe internal organ damage. If they escape injured it can take them up to two weeks to die — a tragically slow and painful death. Ironically, it is often the more experienced bowhunters who injure animals without killing them (as amateurs are more likely to miss animals completely).

And there's another, equally disturbing side, to this cruel 'sport' where dogs are used to track or 'stalk' deer and flush them out of the bushes for waiting hunters. Timid and easily frightened animals, this pursuit can literally scare deer to death and the risks to the dogs can be just as high. Overzealous hunting dogs are frequently lost while 'on the hunt', and are abandoned to an uncertain future in remote and rural areas.

The Victorian government claims it values 'the significant social and cultural benefits that game hunting provides'. And yet less than 1% of Victorians are involved in hunting. Most Victorians oppose the cruel 'sport' whether it be ducks, deer, or other animals with the target on their backs.

TAKE ACTION! Please help us protect these animals by letting your local MP know that Victorians respect and admire wildlife — and don't want to become known as 'The Trophy Hunting State'!

http://www.animalsaustralia.org/take_action/say-no-to-vic-becoming-the-trophy-hunting-state/