|
I did
not know and was curious about "There are also Miners, a totally
different family, in South America." so I looked it up in a
book. Twelve species, part of family Furnariidae, genus Geositta - tempting to
wonder if that means they sit on the ground (no I'm joking - Sitta is the
Nuthatch), especially as the next listed species are called "Earthcreepers".
There
was a huge program to eliminate the (native) Thylacine and pretty close to it
for Koalas and Platypus (for fur). So native fauna is (or was) certainly not
seen as sacrosanct.
As for
the last point, I disagree and don't think people (which people?) are
ignoring that point, as Mark alleges. I don't know of anyone who is seriously
interested in these problems who is not aware of the causes. Any or at least
most comments about these issues are cognizant that these are human caused or
influenced problems. Also sadly history and time only moves forward.
Philip
I
hate to tell you Geoffrey but Kangaroos (or if you like Macropods) are not just
Australian – they also occur in PNG and Indonesia – whereas Noisy,
Yellow-throated and Bell Miners are Australian. There are also Miners, a totally
different family, in South America.
I
don’t think you would have that great difficulty in getting people to dislike a
native species to the point where people would quite happily have it culled –
think Pacific (Eastern) Koel!!
My
big concern with what is happening with Noisy Miners is that people are missing
the point, or more correctly IGNORING the main point, and that is the reason why
they have become what they are. The same applies to people who have taken a
dislike to Pied Currawongs and what they do. We, HOMO
SAPIENS, are the reason they have become what they are. The Noisy
Miners were not the ones who cut down the trees and shrubs, or in the case of
the Pied Currawong, planted lovely berry-bearing exotic species and lovely
native gardens to attract birds. People need to put their brains into gear and
THINK.
Cheers,
Mark
| 