Rangers from New South Wales are up in arms over plans to allow shooting in the state’s national parks. They are threatening to take industrial action over the NSW Government’s decision to support the shooting of feral animals in 79 national parks and conservation areas.
The plan had originally been mooted by the Shooters and Fishers Party. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the Public Service Association (PSA) has directed NSW rangers to refuse to help the government with anything to do with recreational hunting.
“Industrial action like this is not a decision we take lightly, but we simply cannot let the state government’s compromise of our nationalparks to go ahead,” PSA general secretary, John Cahill said in a statement. “Our members have been working very hard to control and manage feral animals in parks … recreational shooting will compromise the professional and scientifically proven feral animal control programs run by national parks staff.”
Mr Cahill said recreational shooting of feral animals was expensive, unsafe and untested and could put rangers, visitors and native wildlife at risk.
