Thanks Hugo and others (including several private messages - evidence of a
conspiracy?!) for the paradise parrot info.
I will have to secure a copy of the Wingspan article. I am very interested
to know why the RAOU would consider printing this article, especially
without any photos or other evidence. And if the parrots were observed "up
to two metres, apparently for several hours over several days" why were
they not shown to other prominent ornithologists or ever refound in the
wild? Pertinent questions indeed!
I fully agree with Hugo that any alleged conspiracies would achieve no
purpose as knowledge of the population would "arouse enormous interest
throughout the world and stimulate the provision of financial resources for
habitat purchase environmental management". Besides, other rare surviving
vertebrates like the Western Swamp Tortoise have only benefitted from
casptive breeding and financial support.
It would certainly seem logical to asusme the Paradise Parrot is now
extinct, especially given its specialised habitat and pressures from
pastoralism.
But then again, given the rediscovery of Gilbert's Potoroo (WA) and other
vertebrates in recent years, I like to entertain the thought that maybe,
just maybe, paradise parrots are holed up in some small remnant of bush
somewhere in Queensland, chuckling quietly to themsleves and perhaps
entertaining a few night parrots!
Cheers,
Rob.
Ps. One rumour that still intrigues me is the statement in the book I
referred to, that the Queensland Museum "in recent years" recovered
Paradise Parrot eggs from the wild (the book is published in 1996 and the
author supposedly has this on "good authority"). Is this just an idle,
hopeful claim or a mix-up?
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