As part of its campaign, the RSPCA ran a series of ads in local newspapers depicting a bloody rabbit hanging from a wall. (Left) The RSPCA advert as featured in The West Australian newspaper, with the digitally altered hare. (Right) The original picture. But the blood on the rabbit was digitally added for effect and was not an Australian pest but an American hare. The ad stated: "Hobby hunting is not a sport. It can lead to animals being injured, maimed and suffering a long painful death." The ad outraged Ron Bryant, WA President of the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia.

"We know that if they're going to run a series of ads as stated on radio by their president, it's going to cost up to $100,000," he said. "What a disgraceful waste of donated funds. "It's appalling that they have to resort to doctoring images of an overseas pest in an endeavour to push their agenda. "Some of the new lows that people are stooping to in an effort to further the ongoing vilification of a lawful and legal recreation are disgraceful." Natasha Farrell, Communications Manager for the RSPCA, said the advert was designed for maximum impact.

"The advert has grabbed people's attention but don't be distracted by the image or the "rabbits are pest" argument," she said. "This is about the proposal to allow recreational hunting on public land in WA." The WA parliament voted to allow a two-year-trial period for hunting in two public areas, one in the state's north and the other south of Perth, on Wednesday. That proposal is set to go before WA Environment Minister Albert Jacob for approval with a decision expected to be announced next week. But the RSPCA remains opposed.

"Recreational hunting is not effective for pest management and will affect all animals that live on our public land – native and non-native," Ms Farrell said. "RSPCA WA supports humane, controlled and well-managed pest management programs. "Recreational hunting will cause unnecessary suffering to many animals, impair the effectiveness of coordinated and planned pest management programs, and jeopardise the safety and enjoyment of these places for the rest of the community." The Shooters Association hit back in The West Australian newspaper on Wednesday, running a $16,500-full-page ad with a picture of Mr Bryant standing with four dead rabbits under the caption: "They're not trophies, they're pests". Mr Bryant said there are 7.2 million foxes, 23 million wild pigs, 26 million goats and 200 million rabbits in Australia, threatening farms and native animals.

"We're here to provide part of the solution by allowing trained and accredited recreational shooters into those areas," he said. But Greens MLC Lynn MacLaren isn't convinced. She said a recent motion by the WA Shooters and Fishers Party for a parliamentary inquiry into the operations of the RSPCA appeared to be a thinly-disguised attempt to discredit a respected charity. "The Shooters and Fishers Party has repeatedly attacked the RSPCA recently, ranging from complaining how the RSPCA spends publicly donated money on advertising to suggesting that the RSPCA is improperly using the $500,000 it receives from the State Government to conduct compliance activities under the Animal Welfare Act," Ms MacLaren said. "So far, the Shooters and Fishers Party has been scant on detail in demonstrating the RSPCA has done anything wrong."