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Danger fears at duck cull
A man claims members of the public could have been shot during the controversial culling of Wigan's ruddy ducks.
Jacob Moot is accusing the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) of failing to follow adequate safety procedures when it sent marksmen to shoot the birds at Wigan Flashes.
He is demanding to know why members of the public were not warned when the cull would take place.
Mr Moot, a 67-year-old grandfather-of-four from Hawkley Hall, was walking his dog on the Flashes on the morning of October 30 when he came across the group of marksmen who shot the ducks.
The wildlife enthusiast, who is the former chairman of Wigan Conservation and Community Group, used a video camera to record the activities.
He said: "I have been involved with the Flashes for the past 30 years and have seen it develop from pit spoil heaps to what it is today. I'm still very interested in the area and have been videoing wildlife, fishermen and bird watchers on the Flashes to make into a DVD about life on the Flashes throughout the four seasons.
"When I came across the group on Pearson's Flash they had finished shooting. I could see a dead duck floating in the water.
"There were two men on the bank near the bird hide. One person was in a small boat, cruising along the edge of the reed beds. I presume he was looking for more ducks.
"I was surprised that there didn't seem to be anyone else around to stop people walking into the area when they had been shooting live ammunition from rifles. There were just a couple of people standing around with walkie talkies.
"I spoke to one of the men and made a remark about the secrecy of the cull and he said that was done from a safety point of view for members of the public."
Mr Moot, a retired maintenance engineer who used to work at the former Reality home shopping company in Martland Mill Lane, said: "I'm local – I know all the places of access to Pearson's Flash, but these people wouldn't have had a clue.
"There is the main access point from the canal, but I know of four other different access points to Pearson's Flash. Unless they had a thorough knowledge of the site they would not know about these. A lot of people walk their dogs there early in the morning. Theoretically, someone could have walked in on the scene and have got shot."
A spokesman for Defra said: "The safety of people is paramount and the personnel carrying out such work are highly trained and experienced. Before any control work takes place, staff from the Central Science Laboratory (CSL) undertake a risk assessment of the site.
"CSL staff work to standardised operating procedures when undertaking control work and also have staff present on footpaths and at entrances to the site. CSL staff are equipped with radios and in the event that public health or safety was perceived to be at risk, work is halted immediately."
Defra have confirmed that 33 ruddy ducks were shot in Wigan last week. They say around 50 ducks survived the cull. Marksmen will return to shoot them, although Defra has refused to reveal when the second cull will take place.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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