RSPCA Australia is dismayed the Northern Territory Government is once again pushing for selling permits to allow trophy hunters to take part in saltwater crocodile safari hunts, after the federal Environment Minister rejected similar plans in 2014.
The RSPCA has a long-standing opposition to recreational hunting, believing the act of stalking or pursuing an animal and then killing it for sport cannot be justified.
“Allowing rich tourists to get their kicks from shooting free-living crocodiles might appeal to some macho personality types, but it has no place in modern Australia,” said Dr Bidda Jones, Chief Scientist, RSPCA Australia.
“Trophy hunting has the potential to leave wounded animals to suffer, exacerbated by the sheer remoteness of hunting locations and the inability to enforce animal welfare legislation proactively.
“When Senator Nigel Scullion says this decision is ‘about science’, he has completely ignored the science of animal welfare.
“The Northern Territory Government in the past has tried to justify the introduction of safari hunting of saltwater crocodiles by implying there are benefits to conservation and indigenous communities – yet they have failed to provide any evidence to back up these claims.
“The only ones who would benefit from this inexcusable and cruel activity would be the trophy hunters themselves.
“Control of crocodiles that pose a risk to humans is best dealt with by professional trained government officers, as has been the case for many years,” said Dr Jones.
The RSPCA is calling on Federal Environment Minister Mr Greg Hunt to once again reject the Northern Territory’s plans for safari hunting just as he did in 2014.
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