Hi to all the Aussie Birdnetters
Our TV station has a very popular nature programme called 50/50. Some time
ago it had an insert on Australians Parrots. On the programme they had
what appeared to be fairly old footage of people throwing nets over
Cockatoos and then killing them by stamping them with heavy poles.
Last night's programme once again showed something similar. I
unfortunately missed the first part but I imagine the person objecting to
the situation was someone named John. HE also had large numbers of the
dead birds that he had displayed outside some Government building to show
his objection to what was happening.
If anyone knows of this I would like to know the following:
Is the killing still an on-going thing? And if so are the birds such an
enormous problem that they have to be killed this way?
Does anyone have the name of the name of the person who was mentioned as
leader of this objection?
We also have problems birds in South Africa - noticeably the Redbilled
Quelea - which are killed by exploding petrol in the reedbeds they roost in
or by poison which of course kills indiscriminately. But there are
literally millions of them which look like a moving cloud when the flocks
take to the air. They have to be controlled as they consume large
quantities of grain. But I would like to know if the birds in Australia
really occur in such large numbers. Could they not in time become
threatened?
Mankind has this great way of controlling problems that eventually lead to
extinction for other species. In South Africa we had the idea years ago
that sleeping sickness was carried by wild animals. So we tried to wipe
out the animals by hunting and thousands of head of game was shot for this
reason!!
Tony Archer
Tax & Financial Consultant
P.O. Box 6022
FLAMWOOD
KLERKSDORP
TEL & FAX: 018-4686403
CELL: 0824459192
" Even more exasperating than the guy who thinks he knows all
is the one who really does.. "
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