SSAA National hunting campaign - positive press at last

SSAA National’s Be Part of the Solution campaign appears to be a resounding success, with more than 30 media stories from newspapers, radio and television already publicised.

The campaign, which was officially launched in February with billboards featuring a hungry-looking fox tucking into some native wildlife, aimed to make the wider non-hunting public and media think about the effects some of our most damaging introduced species have on Australian wildlife. The fox, of course, was originally introduced into Australia for elite hound hunting. The campaign furthermore aims to inform the public that the SSAA is committed to conserving wildlife and that selective hunting, in conjunction with other methods, is a legitimate and worthwhile tool in managing these damaging species.

SSAA National wasted no time in promoting the campaign, sending out press releases to hundreds of media outlets, E-alerts to subscribing members and posters styled the same as the billboards to hundreds of SSAA branches and clubs throughout the country.

After consulting professional media agencies, Canberra Airport and Sydney and Melbourne CBDs were recommended for billboard placement. However, after discussion with the SSAA National Board, only Canberra and Melbourne were selected for initial exposure of the Be Part of the Solution hunting campaign.

While the actual billboards were only placed in these locations, media coverage came from all over Australia. Furthermore, while we were prepared for a barrage of negative reactions, driven by animal liberationists, the Greens and some elements of the media, this in fact failed to eventuate and we were pleasantly greeted with many positive responses.

WIN TV, for instance, picked up the story and broadcasted it across the country, explaining that the economic impact of certain introduced species is now estimated to be more than $740 million each year and that hunting is one of many valuable tools for managing these species.

The National Farmers’ Federation too supported the notion that hunters help control species on private and particularly state and Commonwealth land when run alongside government-implemented pest control programs.

We also received plaudits from Dr Tony Peacock from the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Centre - one of Australia’s largest and most respected invasive species research institutes. In an interview with ABC 666 Canberra radio, Dr Peacock supported our campaign, stating, “We’ve had numerous debates about this in the past…and the reason I wanted to address this particular campaign is that the campaign’s called Be Part of the Solution and I think this is the appropriate role of shooting and in terms of controlling feral animals. When Jacky [a previous caller on the radio segment] called in, she was laying baits, but the disease had come through with rabbits, but also, you’d obviously be shooting rabbits as well.”

In addition to this widespread and positive press, I am very pleased to report that SSAA membership has recently increased and now tops more than 130,000 members. This increase in membership further cements the SSAA’s position as Australia’s premier sports shooting and recreational hunting organisation.

Finally, while the billboard stage of our campaign is finished, we will continue to promote our Be Part of the Solution campaign throughout the year, spreading the message that hunters play an integral role in all wildlife management, whether introduced or native.