Pig Hunts May Get The Bullet Over Use Of Dogs

[RottnBullies]

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Pig Hunts May Get The Bullet Over Use Of Dogs

THE Game Council of NSW is calling for volunteers to use dogs to hunt feral pigs in state forests, but the practice appears to break state government animal cruelty guidelines.

The council, which receives about $3.5 million in public funding, has advertised expeditions into Nundle, Hanging Rock and Tomalla state forests in the New England region of NSW, starting on April 30.

Hunters will be teamed up with groups of five dogs that ''may be used to find, bail and/or hold feral pigs in accordance with all relevant hunting and animal welfare legislation, regulation and requirements,'' the council says.

Advertisement: Story continues below But the legality of ''pigdogging'' hinges on whether packs of trained dogs simply locate pigs or whether they ''hold'' them in position until a hunter arrives and kills the pig with a gun or a knife.

''It is unacceptable to set a dog on to a feral pig with the intention of bringing it down, holding or attacking it,'' say feral pig guidelines produced for the NSW Department of Primary Industries.

''If dogs are used to flush feral pigs out from vegetation, they must be adequately controlled to prevent them from attacking pigs. In the event that a dog latches on to a pig, the dog must be called off and be made to stay behind the shooter until the pig has been killed.''

The NSW Greens are calling on the new state government to ban the hunt, calling it ''a blood-sport on public land''.

The Game Council said it believed it was operating within standard rules, and hunters had attended workshops in the presence of a veterinarian.

''The objective is not to have a fight between the pig and the dog but to halt the pig's escape or movement so it can be killed quickly and humanely,'' the council said.

''Dogs are trained to hold an animal with minimum force required. This is managed by breeding and training which is non-violent, based on dog-whispering techniques developed by Cesar Millan.''

Mr Millan is a US author and self-styled ''dog psychologist''.

The council said it was invited to undertake the hunt by Forests NSW because it was the best way to control the rising number of feral pigs.

An animal rights body, Animals Australia, said that because the council was a publicly funded organisation, the proposed hunt would be ''state-sanctioned animal cruelty''.

''I believe 'holding' is just a euphemism for biting and savaging the other animals until the hunters arrive,'' said the executive director of Animals Australia, Glenys Oogjes.

''It's one animal being pitted against another animal. The pigs are fighting for their lives and it means both the dogs and the pigs are in great danger.''

A Greens MP, David Shoebridge, said the hunt would contradict government guidelines.

''There may be a role for a single dog being used by a professional hunter to track feral pigs, but the Game Council is proposing using dogs to fight with feral pigs, in the course of which both dogs and the pigs will face serious mauling,'' he said.

[poodlefan]

Let's see the opponents of the use of dogs come up with a safer, "more humane" way of controlling feral pig numbers.

[john.davey.1960]

Setting dogs on pigs is to be legal but setting dogs on dogs is illegal because of cruelty? Despites all the barbarity of pig hunting pigs are still around. Learn to live with them. If you believe them psychologists tell us those involved in such barbarity are tomorrows serial killers and spousal abusers.

[Paula-]

Dogs aren't set on dogs to hold but to fight. Hunting and dog fighting aren't even close.

I have no problem with hunting that's done professionally to get rid of feral pests. And I'm pretty sure the hunters I know aren't serial killers either.

[Sandra777]

If you believe them psychologists tell us those involved in such barbarity are tomorrows serial killers and spousal abusers.

:D

Get a life.

OH and many of his family are pig hunters from waaaaaaaaaaaaay back. Don't have any serial killers or spousal abusers in their family.

Feral pigs should be exterminated. They do untold damage to wildlife and land and carry disease in some areas as well as being bloody dangerous animals to have wandering around a national park.

A GOOD hunter doesn't want to risk his dogs by allowing them to bail or hold a pig longer than absolutely necessary, and neither do they wish to inflict unnecessary pain on the pig, they hunt them because they love the sport, not because they hate the pig.

Perhaps if people left their ivory towers and went and saw the damage pigs can do they would understand feral pigs don't look or act like Babe. :D

[Aidan3]

If you believe them psychologists tell us those involved in such barbarity are tomorrows serial killers and spousal abusers.

I'm not sure that's quite what psychologists say :D

[Jeff Jones]

If you believe them psychologists tell us those involved in such barbarity are tomorrows serial killers and spousal abusers.

I have had a game council licence for numerous years holding categories for dog, bow and firearms. I can tell you with 100% certainty that I am not a spousal abuser...

[shortstep]

I sugest we send the Greens in to flush out the pigs. I would even pay the government a ticket price to watch that.

Edited April 15, 2011 by shortstep

[Nekhbet]

I sugest we send the Greens in to flush out the pigs. I would even pay the government a ticket price to watch that.

I'd pay for that. Send in the PETA people and the Babe lovers too ...

go give the nice wild sow with a litter a cuddle then ... oh look there's her boyfriend! Go give him a cuddle too! *sit back and watch the show*

[john.davey.1960]

I wonder what excuse they used to eliminate the Tasmanian Tiger? That's right it was a feral pest damaging farmer's crops. And SA shot all it's Koalas 'coz they loved them so much everyone wanted a Koala fur something or other. I wont even mention Dingos or Roos. Anyone seeing a dog rip the lower jaw off a pig and still think it's not cruel is in need of serious psychological help IMHO! The words feral and pest are simply used to justify abhorrent behaviour. It's practitioners should be seen in the same light as dogfighters. Perhaps when we learn to care more for our wildlife we may begin to care more for each other.

Edited April 15, 2011 by john.davey.1960

[persephone]

psychologists tell us those involved in such barbarity are tomorrows serial killers and spousal abusers.

SSShhhh don't tell everyone my secrets!!

There is no other way to find/keep pigs still in thick scrub/swamps!! using dogs is far more 'humane' than using poison causing all sorts of horrible body reactions before death ...or traps- where pigs go crazy and stress themselves to the vomiting stage and worse

[persephone]

Anyone seeing a dog rip the lower jaw off a pig and still think it's not cruel is in need of serious psychological help IMHO!

That is cruel, yes- and the dog's owner should be stopped using dogs in that fashion

many irresponsible people do not have a thought for the animal they hunt- agreed .

We have only ever had dogs hold a pig by grabbing an ear.... or keeping pig/s backed into a corner,so to speak.

[Lhok]

Feral pigs cause heaps of damage to the native scrub land, they aren't "wildlife" and should be removed where ever possible from the wild. I believe baits and traps to be worse then hunting pigs with dogs. Baits kill indiscriminately and traps stress the animal till it vomits, hurts itself or kills itself trying to get out. I can't talk for all pig hunters, but the dogs I have seen used are only used to track, flush then to bail up the pig so the hunter can get a clean shot at the pig. All pigging dogs I have seen out in the field have had armour on as no one I have had the experience to see hunt wants to lose a dog.

Yes like all things there are people who do some horrible things and they shouldn't be allowed to continue but the people who do it with everything in mind should be allowed to continue.

--Lhok

[Nekhbet]

Perhaps when we learn to care more for our wildlife we may begin to care more for each other.

Australia has never had any native pigs. We introduced them all and they tear up the environment, literally, like bulldozers and dynamite. They're also incredibly hard to catch and dispatch of without dogs.

[Curlybert]

I sugest we send the Greens in to flush out the pigs. I would even pay the government a ticket price to watch that.

I'd pay for that. Send in the PETA people and the Babe lovers too ...

go give the nice wild sow with a litter a cuddle then ... oh look there's her boyfriend! Go give him a cuddle too! *sit back and watch the show*

Hard to see you getting any fence-sitters onside with these sorts of comments.

[gwenneth1]

Like anything, you get your "cowboys/yobbos" who actually use dogs and pigs for entertainment against each other, which is point blank barbaric. I had a pet pig growing up (yep, can you hear them thar banjoes playin? ) and she was as smart and personable as any dog I had owned, so I do not enjoy seeing or hearing about them ripped up for fun. These same sort of yobbos (may I say, we have found generally high percentage of such come from the city areas) are the types that shoot up any animal that comes within their view, including my bloody mare and foal! (To which there is no symbol I can insert to show my utter fury and disgust!), they also leave their poor dogs behind once fun is up and in no way represent a professional, experienced shooters who are concentrating on doing the job at hand with minimum fuss or danger!!!

My brother had used dogs for "pigging", the dogs were well trained and protected and pigs were disposed off quickly by him and he is an "A" grade shot who competes regularly with clay pigeon as well. My brother is also, like I believe most hunters are, very experienced , from the land type of people, whom everyone would be happy to meet and get help from if they were broken down on the side of a road. An illiterate, redneck, vulgar man he is not and certainly not a spousal abuser or potential serial killer in the making. Making those comments are ill informed and inflammatory not to mention counter productive to any real argument being made.

Overgrown and scrubby State forests, now generally locked up from public access, are full of feral pigs that aren't touched and causing havoc on neighbouring farming areas. I have to say the old baiting system of using 1080 ( Schedule 7 Restricted poison ) isn't that humane either.

Using dogs to flush out and temporarily hold a pig until a kill shot can be made may not be ideal, but in some cases it's the best option available and in my mind, a much better option than 1080.

It's probably also not ideal in somes mind to use dogs to move stock and do a nose bite on occasion, but sometimes it just is necessary when you are dealing with semi-wild cattle and it may offend the sensibilities of some, but I bet those same "some" are happily leather wearing/using, meat eating, dairy consuming types as well. The word hypocrite springs to my mind.

[KatrinaM]

Hunting pigs with dogs is perfectly legal in NSW, subject to certain requirements. There is a great difference between people who enjoy inflicting pain on other beings and those who conservation hunt. There is also a huge gap between feral pest management and the management of rare and endangered native species. Without good management of feral pests we cannot effectivly protect native species.

The Greens seem to favour poisoning - a terribly cruel form of death in anybodies language and they seem to want to twist the facts and outright lie to persecute a group of people who give their time to help control a feral pest. Without control, especially after the run of good seasons we have recently had their numbers will skyrocket.

[poodlefan]

I wonder what excuse they used to eliminate the Tasmanian Tiger? That's right it was a feral pest damaging farmer's crops.

Yeech. Tasmanian Tigers were native carnivores.

[Curlybert]

The Greens seem to favour poisoning - a terribly cruel form of death in anybodies language and they seem to want to twist the facts and outright lie to persecute a group of people who give their time to help control a feral pest.

Do you have a reference for this? I couln't find any when checking out Greens policy on feral animals.

[Aidan3]

The Greens seem to favour poisoning - a terribly cruel form of death in anybodies language and they seem to want to twist the facts and outright lie to persecute a group of people who give their time to help control a feral pest.

Do you have a reference for this? I couln't find any when checking out Greens policy on feral animals.

The article says they prefer a single dog trained to flush the pig, then return so the hunter can take a safe shot. Greens have a very strong stance against the use of 1080.

Edited April 16, 2011 by Aidan2