29 December 2008

It's a hard life being a bunny...

| Pommy bastard
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…at the Pinnacle nature reserve.

As a regular denizen of the Pinnacle, I walk there at least three times a week, I have been amazed at the tenacity of Environment ACT.

To the best of my knowledge in this year alone, they have ..

a) Given the bunnies diseases, with the chilling proviso; “dead rabbits will be left on the ground in order to try and spread the disease.”

b) Poisoned the bunnies with “pindone”; chilling proviso as above.

c) Crushed the bunnies to death, using bulldozers to run over their warrens.

d) Shot the bunnies at night; “be warned do not walk in the shooting areas!” (No shit Sherlock)

But the bunnies are still there, in greater numbers than ever it would seem. Should we offer a bounty on them?

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Pommy bastard said :

Interesting points BerraBoy. Some thoughts.

You take the moral choice of potentially harming undersized fish each time you cast. Though my point was aimed at those who fish for the “sport” of catching fish, who, usually after holding them suffocating in air fro a photograph, return them bleeding and harmed into the water.

In our society, and indeed most first world countries, opting to eat meat is a moral choice.

I’m not lecturing on the pro’s and con’s of vegatarianism, just adding the moral dimension to the discussion, which was started by the debate over the morality of killing bunnies.

Thanks for your input.

I enjoy fishing and so do my kids, but I agree with you that those who let fish die though suffocation are pretty poor. I kill what I intend to keep very quickly rather than let them suffer.

To bring this back OT, I and my mates would use steel traps as well as guns to kill rabbits. While I regret killing any of the bunnies, foxes or roos that I have shot, I now find the use of steel trap particularly barbaric (and think is some ways I always did). There is no pleasure in walking up to a trap to find a rabbit has lost his leg and probably bled to death somewhere else. Neither is it fun to find several bunnies killed in one go, as they have been too small to set the trap of independently. I have also had mates that have thrown rabbits into rivers, dams etc. just to see how long it took them to drown. While this was done as kids, I can’t say I’d like to be around anybody that did such things these days.

Pommy bastard9:40 am 02 Jan 09

Interesting points BerraBoy. Some thoughts.

You take the moral choice of potentially harming undersized fish each time you cast. Though my point was aimed at those who fish for the “sport” of catching fish, who, usually after holding them suffocating in air fro a photograph, return them bleeding and harmed into the water.

In our society, and indeed most first world countries, opting to eat meat is a moral choice.

I’m not lecturing on the pro’s and con’s of vegatarianism, just adding the moral dimension to the discussion, which was started by the debate over the morality of killing bunnies.

Thanks for your input.

Pommy bastard said :

Not evil, that’s too strong a word for it. Unnecessary, perhaps.

And those that hook fish out of the water, only to put them back again, have a questionable morality.

I find this comment of yours to be subjective though PB. I love fishing but also like returning the fish to their habitat, especially if they are undersize. I’ve seen our indigenous cousins leave dozens of live fish on the beach at Broulee to die simply as it wasn’t their choice of catch to send to the canneries… now this is questionable.

I’m not having a go at you PB (seriously)just adding my 2 cents worth to this discussion, but opting to eat meat or not is personal choice pure and simple. I hate nothing more than people trying to lecture me or anybody else about the immorality of eating it. After all, I don’t lecture vegetarians on their choices. That said, has there ever been a race of people on this planet that don’t eat meat? Don’t other animals eat it? It seems perfectly natural to me. Nobody ever made friends over a salad.

Pommy bastard7:25 am 02 Jan 09

It’s easy to see how simplistic you are if you think a question on morality; “Is it ok to eat animals?” can be given a yes or no answer.

But, just to keep you happy, yes it is ok to eat animals.

However, some people, find it morally repugnant to do so.

Is it wrong to find eating animals morally unethical?

It’s interesting how evasive you’ve become when asked simple questions on the topic.

Anyway, it does show where you are coming from.

Pommy bastard5:02 pm 01 Jan 09

It’s a moral choice.

If it’s “ok to eat animals” is subjective.

If you’re looking for me to impose my own personal morality on others, you’re barking up the wrong alleyway.

Is it ok to eat animals?

Pommy bastard4:51 pm 01 Jan 09

It’s ok not to eat animals. Quite healthy not to in fact.

As to whether people who eat animals killed by others are more or less morally sound than those who kill a portion* of their own meat, is debatable. I’d say less.

* No one, I believe, lives entirely on self killed meat, most “hunters” also eat bought meat.

So it’s OK to eat fish/animals that have been killed by someone else, but if you do it yourself you are morally questionable?

Or is it not ok to eat animals?

Pommy bastard4:15 pm 01 Jan 09

Not evil, that’s too strong a word for it. Unnecessary, perhaps.

And those that hook fish out of the water, only to put them back again, have a questionable morality.

Pommy bastard said :

Why shoot wild animals for food? We’re not living in medieval europe any more.

Is fishing also evil in your world view?

Pommy bastard3:53 pm 01 Jan 09

Why shoot wild animals for food? We’re not living in medieval europe any more.

try killing rabbits for food, or the skins for clothing. I never shoot anything I won’t eat, when hunting. have seen a guy forced to eat a “red dog”(fox) when on one particular trip, he shot one for its tail. didnt feel the slightest bit sorry for him at dinnertime.

So it’s ok to shoot the ferals, as has been discussed, as they are a pest and their population needs to be controlled. Just don’t enjoy it while you’re doing it. Bam.

Human “frailties” hardly covers waking up in the morning and thinking/saying: “I think I will go and kill some living thing today for sport!” or

“Oh, no cricket today, I think I’ll kill something.” 0r

“Oh, there’s no war on today, I think I’ll kill someone.” or

“Oh, there’s no cricket, no war and nothing to do. I think I’ll bash the misses today.”

Hey, you have to start somewhere.

astrojax said :

you sound like robert de niro, roma, when he was all conflicted as he was killing billy crystal in some barely memorable flick… these things are pests and, while admittedly can be cute, will not simply leave if we ask them nicely.

There’s no good reason to be cruel to an animal just because its considered a pest.

Agreed PB.

astrojax said :

you sound like robert de niro, roma, when he was all conflicted as he was killing billy crystal in some barely memorable flick… these things are pests and, while admittedly can be cute, will not simply leave if we ask them nicely. they are not defenceless – they breed like rabbits [being as they are rabbits] and, as a community, use this as a defence.

but i agree, sport killing is an indictment on our human frailties.

I know they wont simply leave if we ask them nicely. That doesnt make it suddenly ok to get a kick out of killing something. Im glad we agree on that one 🙂

Pommy bastard10:03 am 31 Dec 08

Roma said :

I know they are a pest but I still think its sad. And I have to question the moral fibre of people who think its fun or funny to kill defenceless animals. It may need to be done, but it should be respected as a necessity rather than a sport.

I find it hysterically funny that a fully grown man, armed with a double barrelled shotgun can consider shooting an unarmed bunny “sporting”

you sound like robert de niro, roma, when he was all conflicted as he was killing billy crystal in some barely memorable flick… these things are pests and, while admittedly can be cute, will not simply leave if we ask them nicely. they are not defenceless – they breed like rabbits [being as they are rabbits] and, as a community, use this as a defence.

but i agree, sport killing is an indictment on our human frailties.

I know they are a pest but I still think its sad. And I have to question the moral fibre of people who think its fun or funny to kill defenceless animals. It may need to be done, but it should be respected as a necessity rather than a sport.

Russell Crowe seems to know how to handle bunnies

barking toad4:39 pm 30 Dec 08

Oh, and any with myxo or other diseases, leave for the crows. The circle of life.

barking toad4:37 pm 30 Dec 08

Rabbit warrens

Nets

Ferrets – grab and break neck before ferret tears it to pieces

Fricasee Rabbit (soak skinned/gutted rabbit in milk for hours – gets rid of gamey tast and tenderises)

Gungahlin Al7:08 am 30 Dec 08

Yes phototext – the rabbits at the wetlands are atrocious. So easily eradicated, yes it seems beyond the capabilities of TaMS staff. One word for you to Google folks: “Rid-a-rabbit”.

Easter is coming …. maybe they could chocolate dip all the bunnies and hang them on crosses. Is that a mixed metaphor, or just a good indicator not to send your kid to a public school? Oh, wrong thread.

still remember larvacide gas and the day the wind changed direction. stopped killing bunnies after that.didn’t want to go near the gas either. smelled like aniseed.

I was at Jerrabomberra Wetlands this arvo and there are a lot of rabbits there too.

Nothing quite as much fun as shooting at rabbits with a double barrelled 12 gauge. Over kill you say? Yes, but fun.

I couldn’t possibly count how many bunnies I’ve shot (and killed using other nefarious methods) over the years but I have to say that as I’ve mellowed with age I’ve often regretted killed them. I quite like showing my kids a few bunnies as they scurry across the ground.

That said, I realise the reality that they are introduced pests and attract other pests such as foxes. I wish some happy medium could be found to regulate their numbers without trying to wipe them all out.

Pommy bastard6:50 pm 29 Dec 08

Yes, as far as I am aware they have finnished shooting.

Have they finished shooting up there yet? They’ve been doing all this stuff since the begining of the year.
It would be nice to know when its safe to take the dogs for a walk up there again.

Call them ‘Bunnies” it evokes a sense of compassion, call them Rodent vermin, who cares!Fact is they are pests!

There actually used to be a natural market for wild rabbits back in the day, but the deliberate introduction of certain diseases meant that nobody wanted to eat them, even if the disease/s had no proven link to any human illness.

Maybe it’s time to introduce a new line of Riot Act akubras?

there once was a bounty on rabbits…..foxes too as i recall, can’t remember when or why the bounty was dropped but back then rabbit traps were legal and i think the bounty may have been dropped at the same time trapping was prohibited.

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