RSPCA SA Calls for End to Duck Shooting in South Australia.
As South Australia's 2025 recreational duck shooting season closed yesterday on 29 June, RSPCA South Australia is again calling for this cruel and outdated practice to end. While the Animal Welfare Act 1985 does technically apply to ducks, in reality, it is "virtually unenforceable" during the shooting season according to Dr Rebekah Eyers, RSPCA SA Animal Welfare Advocate.
Recreational duck shooting takes place on public game reserves, Crown land and private properties, often in remote locations. These areas are difficult to access, monitor and staff effectively. Despite the legal protections in place, there is no practical way to enforce the Act or hold shooters accountable to the criminal standard required for prosecution.
"The declaration of an open season on ducks does not override the Animal Welfare Act," said Dr Eyers.
"However, proving a breach of the Act to the required criminal standard - beyond reasonable doubt - is nearly impossible when it comes to duck shooting. We cannot identify shooters, we cannot track individual birds, and we cannot gather the evidence required in time."
The South Australian Government estimates suggest that approximately 26,000 native ducks are shot each season in South Australia. While there is a lack of statistics in South Australia on duck shooting, data from Victoria's Game Management Authority estimates that up to 23 per cent are left wounded rather than killed instantly.
"Our hearts break when we see a single dog or cat suffer, and rightly so. But when thousands of native ducks are left to die every year, the same urgency isn't applied. It's time for our State Government to take this cruelty just as seriously. With only 900 registered duck hunters in the state, why does this cruel practice continue for the sake of so few?" said Dr Eyers.
RSPCA frequently receives complaints from members of the public who witness apparent acts of cruelty during the season. However, prosecuting these cases is extremely difficult, due to a number of enforcement challenges:
• Shooters do not wear identification, making it difficult to determine who is responsible.
•Shotguns spray up to 200 pellets per shot, and with multiple shooters operating in the same area, it is unclear who hit what.
•Wounded ducks often fly on, hide in vegetation, or drown while suffering a slow and painful death. Many are never retrieved.
•Ducks placed into bags or hides may still be alive. Without proper oversight, it is impossible to know whether or how they were killed.
•There are no veterinarians on site to assess injuries or determine whether birds died humanely.
"The declaration of open season on ducks does not suspend the Animal Welfare Act. It still applies to ducks and any other animal that might be shot. The grant of a duck shooting permit does not excuse the person from criminal liability under the Act." said RSPCA SA's Chief Inspector Andrew Baker.
"We are asking the South Australian Government: if the regulator advises that the Animal Welfare Act cannot protect these animals in practice, why are we allowing this to continue?"
Polling consistently shows that around 70 per cent of South Australians oppose duck shooting. RSPCA SA is now urging the State Government to begin phasing out the practice. As a first step, the organisation is calling for an immediate ban on recreational duck shooting on public game reserves under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972.
"The community expects stronger protection for our wildlife," added Dr Eyers. "We cannot continue to allow a recreational activity that knowingly leaves thousands of animals to suffer every year, with little oversight and no enforceable safeguards for their welfare."
References:
Government estimate from SA's 2024 season, see: 2025-Duck-Quail-Season-Briefing.pdf.
Wounded defined as "struck by pellets and not retrieved". Research relied on by this Report: https://djsir.vic.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/2370660/Victorian-Game-Duck-Harvest-Strategy.pdf. Prowse, T. 2023.
Conservation and Sustainable-Harvest Models for Game Duck Species, Report to the Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions.
The SA Inquiry into the hunting of native birds recommended duck shooters be required to wear identification). https://cdn.environment.sa.gov.au/environment/docs/cop_humanedestructionbirds.pdf
