An animal rights group has held a funeral for a duck called Alfred outside Conservation House in Wellington today.
Protesters at Alfred's funeral. Photo: RNZ / Michael Cropp
SAFE (Save Animals From Exploitation) is calling for the ban of lead shot ahead of the duck shooting season, which begins tomorrow.
SAFE said the lead shot from duck shooting was scattered throughout the waterways, and that ducks, along with other birds, mistake the shot for grit and eat it, causing them to be fatally poisoned.
The managing director of SAFE, Debra Ashton, wants a total ban on lead shot.
"We would like to see DOC take a stand, and actually put a blanket rule out there that it's completely banned," she said.
Excluding media, fewer than 10 people attended Alfred's funeral.