Hello Lawrie and others,
I'm afraid I have to disagree with you on this one. I spent almost 2 years
on Cape York Peninsula with over 6 months living in an aboriginal
community. Whether or not you call the hunting of bustards traditional
hunting there can be little doubt that the hunting drastically reduces
numbers. I only had one sighting, and one bundle of feathers (that I can
remember off the top of my head) on Cape York outside Lakefield National
Park. Meanwhile inside Lakefield National Park the bustards are quite
common, certainly everywhere there is suitable habitat.
At Pormpuraaw I only saw bustards on one occasion- it seemed as though
there had been a decline since the study of Garnett and Bredl (1982?). They
are a very popular hunting bird on the cape (called minh ringkin by the
Thaayorre at Pormpuraaw). The problem up on the Cape is that by using
vehicles and guns bustards as well as Emus (also rare on the Cape) and
other favoured birds are easier targets and more get taken as was suggested
by Philip Veerman. As most of the hunting on Cape York is carried out by
aboriginal people (after all they make up the vast majority of the Cape's
population) the scenario where more can be taken because guns are used
rather than spears is a reasonable one.
I'm sure you are right that habitat change etc. has had an impact on
bustards in southern Australia and may have been the main factor but don't
underestimate the impact of hunting.
Cheers,
Mick Todd
Michael Todd
Toronto, NSW, Australia
email-
At 05:02 PM 11/03/01 +1100, you wrote:
Philip Veerman wrote:
>I suppose it could be pedantic but Matthew Herring wrote, in relation to
the Australian Bustard decline in the Kimberley, about an >aboriginal
fellow:
>"but now only takes a few a year and encourages others to do the same."
>Surely it depends how many people he encourages to do this. I would not
like it if someone encouraged me to do this! There very >likely are more
people there than long ago. Also rifles and cars makes the hunting easier
than walking and spears.
Philip
Don't you think it's a bit rich casting aspersions on Aboriginal people
wishing to follow semi-traditional practices? The reasons why bustards
might be in short supply are surely not due to the efforts of Aboriginal
hunting practices, even if they have gone beyond what might be called
subsistence hunting. The real problems for bustards (and other animals) are
the endangering processes unleashed by European land (mis)management, feral
animals, climate change, etc..... Why are people so averse to traditional
wildlife harvesting in Australia? The main species harvested (Short-tailed
Shearwaters, kangaroos, Emus, etc.) are not declining as a consequence of
traditional harvesting, and I can't think of any other species that have
been brought to the status of 'endangered' by Aboriginal people in Australia
since 1788. Maybe we should be applying pressure to the state and federal
conservation bureaucracies to better manage fauna and flora so that, amongst
other things, fauna populations should be able to be sustainably harvested
by indigenous Australians.
Lawrie
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