DUCK RESCUE
Laurie Levy and Dave Evans Interviewed

• The Laurie Levy Interview
• The Dave Evans Interview

DUCK RESCUERS
Wanted for the Opening Season of Duck Shooting (18/19 March)

Duck shooting is not a sport, it is an obscenity. Although usually defended as a harmless pastime, there can be no justification for subjecting animals to pain, fear, terror and death, as the defenceless prey of the hunter’s whim.

The first shots will blast out across the Victoria Wetlands at 7am on the 3rd weekend in March. Laurie Levy, Campaign Director for the Coalition Against Duck Shooting (CADS) speaks to the Abolitionist.

Lyn Trackell (middle) and friends.

The Laurie Levy Interview

By Claudette Vaughan

Abolitionist: It looks as if a government sanctioned duck shooting season is going ahead this year.

Laurie Levy: Oh yes, it’s definitely going ahead. March 18th is the opening weekend.

Abolitionist: There was further controversy this year. Did you ask Steve Bracks and his government to ban duck shooting?

Laurie Levy: Well we were pushing for a ban. All the aerial surveys conducted by Dr Richard Kingsford from NSW National Parks Service and the University of NSW – he’s been doing surveys since 1983 – and his surveys show that waterbird numbers were again as low as they were in 2003 when the Victorian government called a moratorium. Basically we have still got a serious problem in Victoria where the Bracks government is calling for a duck season where birds are at their lowest. This is one of the main barriers holding us back at the moment.

Laurie Levy

One of the biggest hurdles we have had to overcome in Victoria in recent years is that they head of the Game Management Unit (part of DSE) is himself a keen duck shooter. Also the Environment Minister’s Chief of Staff and senior advisor is also a shooter.

However, the most important part of campaigning is communicating with the public. And this is where we have been successful. It has been public opinion that has been responsible for the huge reduction of duck shooters in Victoria – and for banning the activity in three other states.

Abolitionist: Do you think calling for a reduced season or smaller bag limits does any good at all?

Laurie Levy: No. The government made a political decision and increased the bag limit this year. So what you’ve got now is a head to head fight. The Bracks Government didn’t make a scientific decision or what’s best environmentally – they made a political decision.

Abolitionist: Why a political decision when the number of shooters are at their lowest?

Laurie Levy: There’s an election coming up and the government in Victoria is very conservative. Infact it’s even more conservative than the Kennett government was in its time.

Abolitionist: CADS presence on the wetlands is certainly a strong political statement. Are you still winning the media war Laurie?

Laurie Levy: In a 20 year campaign the numbers of duck shooters in Victoria have dropped from 95,000 in 1986 and numbers were growing in those days. They have dropped to 21,000 licensed shooters today but only a few thousand of those are active on the wetland. In that 20 year period we have seen 3 States ban entirely recreational shooting of native waterbirds. The reason why that has all come about is because of public opinion.

Abolitionist: There’s never been any serious injuries to duck rescuers in all the time you have been operating. You have always been a big advocate of non-violent direct action – is that fair to say?

Laurie Levy: Yeah that’s right. The duck campaign has always been non-violent. Although during that 20 year period a number of shooters have died out in the wetlands. Shooters have either shot themselves or their mates or fallen out of boats and drowned etc. But no rescuers have been hurt over the last 20 years.

Abolitionist: How do you control the anger of rescuers towards the shooters?

Laurie Levy: We don’t take out angry people. We don’t take out in our rescue team whose who don’t have self-control. Because an angry rescuer out there can get other rescuers hurt. So when out on the wetlands, it’s important that rescuers keep a cool head when they are provoked by shooters – either by verbal abuse or any other way – it’s important that rescuers act in a cool, calm and collected manner. Any rescuer who blows his or her top, won’t be out there again.

We are a fighting force out there and the rescue team has always played it hard on the wetlands. We have always brought out wounded birds – illegally shot protected birds – and being non-violent doesn’t mean weakness. We still go head to head with the shooters out there and we have done so for 20 years.

Abolitionist: How is shooters anger dealt with once you’re out on the wetlands?

Laurie Levy: The last thing you want to do is provoke shooters anger through verbal dialogue.

Abolitionist: You must know quite a few of the shooters by now Laurie.

Laurie Levy: We know a few of them. A lot we don’t of course. There aren’t that many left anymore. The majority of them has gone because public opinion has changed. Their wives and kids have put pressure on them not to go out onto the wetlands. CADS has been fortunate because our intention has always been to play it hard.

Our rescue team over the past 20 years has been made up of people who are totally committed and have always shown a great deal of courage in the face of fire.

Abolitionist: Do shooters avoid the most popular spots these days because CADS are out there patrolling the wetlands?

Laurie Levy: We patrol the major wetlands in Victoria. Fifteen years ago popular sites would have 15,000 shooters on that one day – the opening of duck season. We would have 300 or 400 rescuers coming up against 10,000 duck shooters so they were the tough days and those days are gone.

Abolitionist: Does it get any easier seeing a duck being shot?

Laurie Levy: It’s not easy but by being out there has made a huge difference. Recreational shooting of native waterbirds has been banned in 3 States in Australia. It’s basically knocked it out in Victoria too. The rescuers – their courage and commitment – has made a huge difference. These are the images that have gone out to the public have made the difference also.

Abolitionist: How many endangered species are there on the wetlands?

Laurie Levy: Mainly there’s the Freckled Duck and the Painted Snipe. Were you aware that the Bracks government ‘s own animal welfare advisory committee AWAC has recommended that the recreational shooting of waterbirds be banned because of the cruelty factor.

Abolitionist: But will they do it?

Laurie Levy: It’s all about marginal seats. We also have the ALP grassroots members fighting this issue as well. The ALP grassroots members want the recreational shooting of native waterbirds to be abolished as well. What we did last year under the Freedom of Information Act all the postcodes of shooters in Victoria and we had a statistician over-lay those postcodes into electorates. You only have 2% of duckshooters in marginal seats so if you look at 1% voting for the National/Liberal party then basically duck shooters are no threat to the Bracks government.

Abolitionist: Are you calling for more duck rescuers this year?

Laurie Levy: Yes.

Abolitionist: Who should people contact? Dave Evans?

Laurie Levy: Yes. Contact him on 0427 896 968.
If rescuers want to come out they are most welcome. It’s important that they wear bright coloured clothes which makes it safer. Anybody wearing dark colours won’t be allowed onto the wetlands. There’s a good example of that with the Vice President of America, Dick Cheney, shooting his friend in the face because he mistook him for a duck. That highlights the need for bright coloured clothes out there. It makes it easier for shooters to see rescuers and it also means the birds can see rescuers too. The birds will then stay out of shot gun range.

The Duck Campaign over the years couldn’t function without David Evans co-ordinating the Rescue Team and the wonderful help of Lynn Trackell.

The Bracks government has changed the voting system of the Upper House. For the first time ever it looks as if, at the next State election in late November, we could have 2 to 4 Greens in the Upper House so this is going to make a huge difference to us in a positive way. I think the duck campaign is coming to an end. We just have a lot of work to do to the lead up to next years election.

The Dave Evans Interview

By Claudette Vaughan

Abolitionist: How are you Dave? Wonderful to hear your voice. It puts me back on the wetlands with you. Dave Evans: Missing those 4am wake up call are you girl? (laughter) It’s all going down this year. We don’t know where the hell we’ll be yet but I hope duck rescuers are coming down from NSW to join us here in Victoria. We need them all.

Dave Evans

Abolitionist: After all these years Dave I haven’t interviewed you on the duck rescue issue and yet you are an integral part of the co-ordinating team of CADS.

Dave Evans: Fire away then!

Abolitionist: Since you are doing such a through job down there there won’t be a duck season soon. So my first question is: Are you looking forward to the season this year?

Dave Evans: I don’t like what I see out on the wetlands but we are nearing the end of Victoria’s duck season. I really dislike doing the job we have to do however it’s a job that must be done.

Abolitionist: How have you seen it change over the years?

Dave Evans: The number of duck shooters has gone down substantially. Last year we hit one of Victoria’s most popular wetlands and we had a hundred and ten rescuers in the actual water and roughly we had one hundred and thirty shooters out there as well. When I first started over 10 years ago you would have up to 3000 shooters on a wetland.

Abolitionist: So it’s still dangerous out there?

Dave Evans: Yeah it is but people are prepared to take that on because they know what’s happening out there must be stopped. You are dealing with shooters who are head to toe in camouflage, with double barrel shot guns that can kill at close range. The Coalition Against Duck Shooting has a lot of safety precautions in place and we have never had a rescuer harmed in any way. There are always risks involved though.

Abolitionist: It’s an incredible camaraderie out there with other rescuers.

Dave Evans: That is the one thing I really look forward to at duck season. I don’t like the job but the camaraderie is second to none. We’re all out there for the same reason which is to end this despicable and disgusting ‘sport’. We will end this.

Abolitionist: When the sun starts to rise there’s nothing like it seeing hundreds of duck rescuers in brightly coloured clothing, some with coloured wigs on, diverging on the conservative wetlands.

Dave Evans: Yeah. That’s our big thing. People must stand out while out there. Being brightly coloured serves 2 important purposes. 1. It’s a safety issue. We can see you out across the water for miles and 2. It acts to scare the birds up and off the wetlands. The shooters are dressed in army camouflage gear so not to scare the birds away. We come in there in our bright clothes, blowing our whistles and it really infuriates them.

Abolitionist: Even though the Coalition has built a base of loyal followers, great friends, over the years and the camaraderie etc on that opening weekend is run like a military operation. It’s so well run. There’s the more conservative groups helping out the Coalition and then there’s the veterinary clinics etc…

Dave Evans: It is very much like an army. An army of rescuers.

Abolitionist: It’s freezing out there and when you’re coming out with rescued birds how grateful it is to have the tea and toast thing happening on shore (laughter)

Dave Evans: Yeah the tea and toast people are a godsend. There are people who find the prospect of going out on the wetlands and scaring the birds off and copping verbal abuser from shooters- which is always inevitable – quiet challenging. They can help us by setting up tea and coffee and food and so forth.

Abolitionist: Or people already on good behaviour bonds or have had fines or have been to court etc can stay and do something on land.

Dave Evans: That’s right. There’s a million things to do on shore. We always need people who are willing to transport others from one side of the wetlands to the other. There’s even helping people as they come out of the water. There’s always a lot of work to be done.

Abolitionist: What sticks in your mind about duck rescue the most?

Dave Evans: I’ll never forget the first wounded bird I brought in and I thought to myself “How can these people do this?” as this wounded bird was flapping away in the water. The other thing that I remember year after year is the team, the good vibe that’s out there with our own people.
This work is hands on work. You actually see that your presence there has really made a difference. Your presence has scared the birds up and stopped them from being shot. That experience is really second to none.

Abolitionist: Yes I agree. There’s nothing more joyous than hearing your booming voice across the wetland at 5am as the crack of fire power coming off the guns signals to the rescuers to mark the shooters while they’re shooting. Dave Evans voice can drown all of that out as he mobilizes his troops into action stations. This is a fantastic testament that there have been no major incidents between the 2 antagonistic enemies although it hasn’t been a walk in the park, has it?

Dave Evans: True. It hasn’t. A lot of them are cowboys. They say they are shooting for a meal when we have proven that wrong. Time and time again I brought shot game birds to shooters to hand to them so they can shoot one less than their bag limit and they have always refused me. In over 10 years there have only been 2 instances have they ever accepted a bird.

Abolitionist: Should duck rescuers this year contact you on your mobile number?

Dave Evans: Absolutely. It’s 0427 896 968. See you on the wetland. Don’t be late coz we don’t wait. That’s our motto!