New South Wales Government – Don’t Encourage Young Killers

In New South Wales (NSW), Australia, the Game and Feral Animal Control Regulation is up for review. And in an astonishing move, the new regulation proposes allowing unsupervised children as young as 12 to hunt and kill animals such as pigs and wild dogs using bows and arrows and knives.

The regulations are governed by the NSW Game Council, which is funded by taxpayer money to “regulate the interests of licensed hunters”. Under the proposed amendment, parents can send a letter which gives their consent and will “indemnify the Game Council, the State and anyone for whom the Game Council or the State is vicariously liable, in respect of any civil liability for the death of or injury to any person, and for any damage to property, arising at any time as a result of or in connection with the minor hunting when not under that supervision.”

This means that the government and the Game Council are permitting 12-year-old children to go out and kill animals with dogs, knives and bows and arrows but will accept no responsibility for any problems that arise from this, including the loss of innocent human life.

We already live in a world which exposes children to violence on a daily basis. Teaching children to kill for “fun” is dangerous– not only for animals but also for the children themselves. In the United States, the Federal Bureau of Investigation uses animal abuse as part of its profile for potential killers since it’s been proved that most serial killers start out by harming and killing animals before they move on to humans.

For parents who want their children to get outdoors and be more active, there are any number of sports and pastimes that encourage a healthy lifestyle and build character. There is nothing healthy about giving our children knives and telling them it’s fun to slit an animal’s throat.

Ask the state to amend this proposal and keep New South Wales out of the Dark Ages. Submissions can be made until 8 June. Speak up for animals today by sending your thoughts to [email protected].

Posted by Jason Baker