And They're Very Sorry About It

When the first little news item appeared in the newspapers earlier in the week about a video clip appearing on YouTube, with three giggling males prodding one another to shoot ducklings out of the water, it sounded like the mindless antics of some hormone-charged, antediluvian juveniles too stupid to fathom that small birds and animals are nature's gift to the world, not random objects of prey for idiots.

Funny thing, that. It would appear that a whole lot of people had a gander at that video. Perhaps led to it by the brief story that appeared in the newspaper. But a whole lot of people, all over Canada, were outraged and utterly infuriated at the very thought that a group of teens with nothing better to do were out in a vehicle somewhere in the boondocks, picking off little ducks, shooting them and whooping it up in a frenzy of lunatic killing of area wildlife.

Environmentalists and wildlife authorities were none too pleased, as well. And a search was launched to try to find these errant kids with nothing better to do than laugh and shoot their firearms attempting to kill as many of these ducklings as they could. The thing of it is, they were fairly convinced they would find these malefactors. Reason? The video they posted of themselves was quite revealing.

People who knew them, viewing the video, could identify them. And, obviously, did just that. And holy Toledo, would you believe it, these were men, not kids at all. David Fraser, 30, his 23-year-old brother James Fraser, and their brother-in-law who, from the photo in the newspaper looks at least in his early 30s. A trio of hapless numskulls with nothing better to do than to shoot at ducklings.

They face four charges: careless use of a firearm; illegally hunting ducks and grebes out of season; allowing game flesh to be spoiled or wasted; illegally hunting migratory birds with a rifle. Oh, and one also faces a charge of firing from a vehicle. One was given a $6,000 fine while his two buddies were fined $5,000 each. One could venture the opinion that the public ignominy they face is a far greater challenge to their self-respect than the fines.

On the other hand, they may be completely devoid of self-respect in the first place, having embarked on such a witless venture to begin with. One has been quoted as saying that they "honestly didn't know it was a crime ... and we're very sorry about it". Leading one to the opinion that they still just don't get it.