31/5/76

*** via Beeac

Dear Sir,

I have just read an article in the Geelong paper this morning, about the poisoned wildlife.

I work on a property in the western district but this goes on every year, its not when the crops are planted however, it is after the crop has come up.

Only last year I told a fellow about off about it, but he still went ahead and did it.

The method they use, they get a bucket full of Barley or wheat then soak it in "Lucijet" a fluid they use for blow fly strike. Now they take it up and set baits of it around the edge of the crop. This was to get rid of swans, now I only counted about half a dozen, they seem too crafty to take it, an act for which I was thankful for.

But ducks they are a different matter. The first year they put out these baits ... 127 black ducks that were killed...

I think you will agree last year was the only year I have seen a Brolga, but when I first went to this place, we used to have 50 brolgas around every year, now we only see about 5 which is quite a drop in numbers.

I didn't get around to counting all the dead birds last year but, there were 45 around the edge of one of the lakes adjoining one of the property's when they were putting these baits down...