A protest on World Animal Day outside the NSW parliament mustered only about 50 people despite covering a grab-bag of causes ranging from firewood harvesting to hunting in national parks.
It demonstrated the pathetic size of a vocal and disruptive mob. If the Wilderness Society, Animals Australia, Public Service Association, National Parks Association, Greens party and “concerned citizens who care about animals” can’t lure a crowd from a population of millions, why should society be paying them any attention at all?
The Greens, animal rights advocates, tree huggers, placard-toting children and other antis can’t figure out that sustainable use is essential and management of the environment by humans is the key. As the rest of Australia begins to get this concept, the radicals are like fish in an evaporating puddle.
There’s no doubt in my mind that hunting is a crucial aspect of both sustainability and management. Even a lone hunter taking one animal for the table adds a level of sustainability to the world we live in, because he or she is sourcing local free-range food, therefore minimising the resources devoured to put nourishment on a plate.
If that animal was taken as part of an overall management plan for the species, even better. Successful herd maintenance results in healthy wildlife populations and balanced ecosystems. That goes for native, game and feral animals.
The paucity of protesters last week is perhaps a sign that we’re successfully managing the extreme greens as a feral species on our political landscape. Eradication is the goal, even if it’s unlikely to happen, but through the promotion of realism and common sense, it looks like their numbers have been significantly reduced and the remnant population is closer to being rendered harmless.
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