Hi everybody -
With regard to this issue and requests for more information, I include the
text of one of Birds Australia's information sheets below. It was put
together mainly to address one of the FAQs that comes up whenever the
question of culling corellas and other parrots is raised (the question of
export as cage birds) and so is at a slight tangent to the topic here, but
it may contain some information of interest. As with other BA info sheets,
it is available formatted as an email attachment for printing, photocopying
and circulation where appropriate.
Regards,
Hugo
-----------------------------
Birds Australia Information Sheet No.10
PEST PARROTS AS PETS? NO!
Why exporting our pest cockatoos is not such a good idea
Some species of Australian parrots and cockatoos are perceived to be
agricultural pests in some places, especially where wheat, other grains and
soft fruit are grown. In response to pressure from farm lobbies, state
governments in Australia have laws that allow these birds to be killed,
either by the farmers themselves or by state government officers.
Australia's Commonwealth Government has very strict laws governing the
export of native birds (and other native fauna) overseas, so much so that
an illegal trade exists to smuggle birds (often as live eggs) and
especially those prized in aviculture or as pets, to markets abroad where
they may fetch very high prices.
Many people in Australia and elsewhere see this situation as anomalous and
feel, sometimes very strongly, that a simple solution would be to capture
the pests and export them, thus alleviating crop damage, avoiding
destruction of the birds, generating income for farmers, providing
companionship for lonely bird-lovers and improving the trade balance.
Surely this would be a win-win solution for everybody? Well, not quite?
BACKGROUND - PARROTS AS PESTS
Is there really a big pest parrot problem?
Some people certainly think so, and it is true that many species of
Australian parrot and cockatoo can and do cause damage. Prominent examples
include Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, corellas and Galahs damaging wheat and
other grain crops as well as digging up lawns, bowling and golf greens, and
damaging buildings that use soft timbers externally. Others cases include
Red-tailed Black Cockatoos in peanut and sorghum crops in northern
Australia, and Red-capped Parrots, lorikeets and rosellas in fruit
orchards. However, much reported damage is small-scale and localised.
Individual farmers and orchardists, as well as bowling and golf club
managers, may be hard-hit on occasion but, at a national level, the
economic costs of parrot and cockatoo damage to agriculture are trivial
compared with the effects of weather, insect pests, plant and animal
diseases, and fluctuations in world commodity prices.
Do we have to kill these birds to minimise crop damage?
In many cases, no. Destroying the birds would often be unnecessary if
better agricultural policies and practices were implemented. However,
destruction permits and permissive legislation are seen as easy
bureaucratic and political options to placate a few angry farmers.
Meanwhile, the very visible and noisy cockatoos are easy to blame for
reduced income due to poor management or plain bad luck. It is also argued
that active destruction of the birds under controlled conditions and
official supervision makes it less likely that some farmers will resort to
illicit poisoning (with such substances as organophosphate pesticides which
cause prolonged suffering before death) that threatens non-target species,
the environment and human health.
What other remedies are there for parrot problems in agriculture?
Fruit orchards can be, and increasingly are being, netted to exclude pest
birds completely. With grain growing, the use of decoy crops and food
dumps has worked well in some situations. It is also possible to use
deterrence through scare tactics, reinforced by some selective shooting of
individuals to prevent habituation. Better would be acceptance by the
farming community that small-scale crop damage is one of the many hazards
of agriculture, accompanied by an insurance or compensation scheme that
would recompense farmers for any significant damage. However, there are
problems with accurate damage assessment as early damage to crops may be
made up in later growth so that there is little or no decline in yield.
What is needed is more research into crop damage and non-destructive
control methods, along with education of the wider community with the facts
to counter both irrational anger and sentimental misperceptions.
Does legal pest control of parrots threaten any parrot species?
Probably not. The species that are considered the worst pests, and that
attract the most attention, are generally already numerous and sometimes
expanding their range. For example, populations of Long-billed Corellas,
Sulphur-crested Cockatoos and Galahs have increased largely because of land
clearance and agricultural development, sometimes threatening rarer
species. People overseas who think of them solely as pet or companion
birds may find it difficult to conceive that they could be agricultural
pests, and feel far more sentimental about them than they do for less
charismatic animals such as rats, rabbits and mynas.
WHY NOT PROFIT BY SELLING THE PEST BIRDS OVERSEAS TO THOSE WHO WOULD VALUE
THEM AND GIVE THEM A GOOD HOME?
BECAUSE:
It would do nothing to stop crop damage. The numbers of birds of the
common pest species that would need to be caught to have any noticeable
effect in reducing crop damage are far greater than the global pet market
could absorb.
It would not provide any secure or significant income for farmers. After
the first few shipments, the market would be glutted and prices would drop
dramatically. Further demand would be close to zero.
It would be cruel. Wild-caught adult cockatoos of pest species are not
suitable as pets in most homes. They would be unhappy in small cages, and
very destructive out of them. They are also very noisy. As cheap pets for
inexperienced owners on a glutted market they would be disposable.
Undoubtedly, many of these highly intelligent but demanding birds would be
kept in unsuitable and miserable conditions, injured, mutilated or killed
by attempted restraint, or released to get rid of them.
It would be environmentally irresponsible. Remember that these birds are
considered to be pests. They thrive in Australia in agricultural
landscapes similar to many areas of North America, southern Europe,
southern Africa, the Middle East and central Asia. In Australia we are
only too well aware of the dangers of introducing exotic species of fauna
and flora. Australian parrots introduced to New Zealand, for example, are
known to compete with native birds there for food resources. Australian
parrots are also known to harbour diseases that could threaten wild bird
populations elsewhere.
DOES THIS MEAN THAT WE SHOULD NEVER EXPORT OUR PARROTS?
Parrots and cockatoos are spectacular creatures and there have always been
attempts to profit from their popularity as cage birds by catching and
trading in them. There are two principal arguments put forward to justify
such trade:
Captive breeding for conservation.
This has been much favoured by some aviculturists. However, while some
limited captive breeding - in the context of a species recovery and
management plan - may be valuable if the birds bred are successfully
reintroduced to the wild, there is little evidence that private or
commercial aviculture has helped parrot conservation in the past (though
avicultural expertise and techniques have contributed to conservation
management). Indeed, the high prices of some species in aviculture put
pressure on restricted populations and may threaten them with extinction.
The future for responsible aviculture lies in becoming able to sustain
demand for all desired species through captive breeding without any need
for wild harvest - thus aiding conservation by making the illegal traffic
in wild-caught birds redundant.
Ranching for habitat protection.
Could ranching parrots, through taking eggs and chicks from the wild and
raising them in captivity for the avicultural trade, help with the
conservation of threatened species? The logic is that a controlled and
sustainable harvest could reduce or eliminate the currently uncontrolled
trafficking which does threaten parrot populations - especially within the
archipelagos of South-East Asia and the south-west Pacific region. It is
claimed that sustainable harvesting by the subsistence communities of this
region could aid conservation by providing incentives to protect the
habitats from which the people derive part of their income. However,
despite some pilot programs, there are no good examples of such a scheme
working with wild parrot populations, and ecotourism is likely to be a much
better source of income for those communities.
These arguments are not supported by any compelling evidence. Even if they
are worthy of further examination, they would only apply to cases where the
prices, and perceived value, of the species involved were maintained at a
relatively high level. They do not apply to the trade in cheap and
unsuitable pets.
Recommended Reading: Environment & Natural Resources Committee. (1995).
Problems in Victoria caused by Long-billed Corellas, Sulphur-crested
Cockatoos and Galahs. (Parliament of Victoria (ENRC); Government Printer:
Melbourne).
*************
Hugo Phillipps
Communications Coordinator
Birds Australia
415 Riversdale Road
HAWTHORN EAST 3123, Australia
Tel: (03) 9882 2622, fax: (03) 9882 2677
Email: <>
Web site: <http://www.birdsaustralia.com.au>
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