Pig hunts defended Passionate shooters stress benefits of culling pest
TOWNSVILLE pig hunters have rallied to defend their sport in droves, saying their weekend hobby is helping stem Queensland’s feral pest problem.
A fiery debate raged online when the Townsville Bulletin asked readers to share photos of their best pigging catch, with some labelling the hobby as animal abuse.
For Black River couple Alysa and Beau Krause, pig hunting is a way of life.
They both grew up hunting around Townsville and Charters Towers and now go pigging almost every weekend with their 10month-old son Leyton.
Mrs Krause is a “strong ambassador for feral animal culling” and says many naysayers wouldn’t realise Queensland has a population of 24 million feral pigs, among our most widespread and damaging pests.
“Obviously pigs being an introduced species when we colonised, they escaped and bred and there’s such good conditions for them here that they just thrive,” she said.
“Dad always taught us about Australia and the land, and what the pigs did with erosion. He works for the railway and does weed control, and they spread noxious weeds; many people don’t realise that.”
Mrs Krause said copping was part of being a hunter.
“You get a lot of criticism from people saying it’s cruel but they are a pest; you try and do everything as humanely as possible,” she said.
“Hobby hunters need permission to shoot on the properties you go on, so we do the right thing.”
While some pig hunters prefer to shoot their kill, some – like the Krauses – use specially bred pigging dogs to take down wild flak boars and sows. Which again comes with another round of criticism for the dogs involved.
“Our dogs are our pets and we don’t want them to get hurt; they’re very well looked after,” Mrs Krause said.
Elissa and Ashley Teakle hunt with their young kids Annabelle, 6, and Trevor, 3, on their friends’ cattle property near Normanton twice a year and out near Hughenden.
Mrs Teakle said she was hooked on the sport after her husband took her pig hunting for the first time as 18-year-olds.
“The thrill of seeing big pigs and actually catching them certainly gets your blood pumping,” she said. “I’m all for culling of feral animals, providing it’s done humanely. Those who do the right thing give the sport a great name but there are a few that definitely ruin it for us all.”
Mrs Krause agreed, saying there was a minority who gave the sport a bad name.
As for what happens with the pigs once they’re killed, Mrs Krause emphasises that eating feral pigs came with an extreme health risk.
“They do spread a lot of disease through humans so you would never eat them,” she said.