Shooting of Captive Birds

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 142, 3 July 1937, Page 7

Shooting of Captive Birds

61RD LOVER.

Sir, — My attention has been called fco a paragrapb publisbed recentl.y to the etfech that a giuh club had ordered 1000 pigeons from Wellington for the purpose of eondiictiog a live-bird ehampionship. Tbe time is long overdue when this eruel pastime should be legally banned io every civilised eommunity, If all genuine bird lovOrs in this Dominion could attend a live-bird shoot ' and see for themselves the patbetic sight of hntnlreds of birds being slaughtered they would never rest until they stirred Up public opinion to such an extent that eaptive-bird shooting would SQon be n thing of tlie past. Kor tlie i'lforniation oi those who have nor li:\d tlie misiortune to wituess a live-bird slioot I will endeavour ta describe briefly the proceedingis. Firstly, I wili deal with pigeon shoot-

ing. Thousunds of these birds ate bred and xeared etlely for the purpose of pruviding ' sport" and are more or less tame. When & live pigeon shoot takes piace the - biids are despatched in crates to the club concerned. The shooter stands on a, mark about 15 to 20 yards behind a l-ow of traps in which the birds are placed, one in each trap. When the shooter with his gun at shoulder gives the Word "pull". one of the traps is uncovered. Sometimes fche trapped bird is a strong aotive bird and with a quick getaway is fortunate enough to escape unwounded. Another bird may be tame and hops out of the trap without attempting hight. Instead it struts about looking for food. The shooter is iiot allow;ed to tire &o long as the bird is on the ground. To ihduce the unfortunate bird to fly a polo ball is bowled at it by an official wiiile the shooter stands ready to fire the moinent the bird is clear of the ground. What chance has it under these conditions ? On occasions a bewildered pigeon will leave the trap and fly straight to the shooter. Again what chance has , the bird? Other birds are not killed outright when fired at. Instead they are able to fly away wounded, sometimes with'a broken leg. Live pigeon shooting is cruel enough ; but this much can be said in its i'avour— a woUnded bird which falls inside or outside the boundary is quickly retrieVed by a sporting dog and its sutfering is ended. So much for pigeon shooting, In my opinion the fact that shooting of captive small birds, is legal shouid be an everlasting reproach against those politicians who are contrdlling the destinies of tliis fair Dominion. There is a high degree of skill in shooting at clay birds and it is certainly more spdrtiiig. The numerous giuu ciubs throughout the Dominion are responsibie t'or tht slaughtef of many thosands of beautiful and lovable little birds — sparrows, linnets, goldtinches and other breeus. These little birds are caugkt in nets and are then put in boxes. By the time they arrive at the gun club gtounds many of them are too cold and stiff to fly quickly from the traps ahd have no chance of escape. Very oiten tlie birds are not killed outright and fall wounded outside the boundary bbt unlike the pigeons are left to sutt'er ahd die a painfui death. Others are able to fly some distance when not hit in a vital spot — a broken leg is a common occurrence. Members of gun clubs argue that they are doing larmers and orchardists a good turn by shooting smali birds. That excuse is too utterly foolish to carry any weigbt with people of ordinary inteliigence. Birds are the natural enemies of insecfc pests and various authorities have estimated that if it were not i'or bird life all graiu crops grown throughout the world would be destroyecf by insects and the human race wiped oufc by iamine lvithin seven years. In conclusion I may state that 1 am expressing the opinion of some thousands of fellow members of the New Zealand Birds Proteetion Society md 1 sincerely trust that the efforts '> that society combined with the S.P. O.A. in stamping out the shooting oi captive birds will meet with Buccess. — Yours, etc..

Hastings, July 2, 1937.