Mallards are also a problem in Perth. I know that a WA government
department used to regularly catch all the feral ducks and geese at the
main metropolitan lakes. This was at least once or twice a year. I
remember seeing video footage of them in their little aluminium dinghy
with nets to catch them. Because the ducks / geese had just been released
they could not fly (I assume their primaries had been clipped) and so they
were fairly easy to catch.
This is clearly no longer happening and the numbers are building up, and
the number of Pacific Black Duck hybrids is also noticably increasing.
I guess that with the increased pressure on funding, this is one task that
they felt that they could easily discontinue.
Perth has other feral species that are problems such as Rainbow Lorikeets,
Little Corella, Long-billed Corella and even if a campaign was launched to
ensure public support, I doubt if the funding would be available to carry
it out these days.
My feeling is that Mallards are a special case because they create hybrids.
I have also wondered why Mallard is on Christidis & Boles list, but Geese
are not?
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