Dorothy et al
I too saw the 7:30 Report report a while ago.
I think the idea of the myna trap is brilliant and long overdue, but a few
things need to be worked out first.
First, we need to have people agree to have one of these traps set up in
their neighbourhood - my front yard would be a pretty good place for one, as
we're surrounded by mynas (even though the red wattlebirds have been able to
keep them away from our back yard). However, I'd need to overcome the
opposition of my family, then presumably other neighbours, who see offing
birds as cruelty.
Second, the question of disposal is a bit complicated. Even though the myna
isn't a protected species, I would guess you'd need some sort of permit to
destroy large numbers of birds. Also there's a bit of infrastructure
required for CO2 gassing. You need lots of dry ice for a start, I think, or
maybe some tanks. And then of course the question of what to do with the
carcasses. You'd probably need a separate permit for disposal of what would
probably be classed as biological waste. (Maybe a vet would know what has
to happen here.)
I think the answer here would be for local councils to have a service where
you borrow a trap for a day, and return it full of live birds. The animal
control staff at the council could do the rest. Obviously you couldn't have
the trap for longer than this due to the requirement to feed the trapped
birds. Not feeding them would definitely constitute unnecessary cruelty -
they may be pests but they're living creatures.
As for myself, I'd be happy to volunteer my time once a month or so
distributing the local council's traps, collecting them the next day, and
delivering them to (in my case Boroondara City Council's) animal control
staff for humane disposal.
Bill
-----Original Message-----
From:
Behalf Of Dorothy
Window
Sent: Wednesday, 1 January 1997 2:26 AM
To:
Subject: tenterfield bird kill
I note Paul Osborn's posting in which he expressed surprise that nobody
had mentioned the ABC's 7.30 Report in which Dr Chris Tidemann and
others were interviewed re the Common - too common!!!! Myna.
I posted an email on birding-aus a couple of years ago in which I noted
the excessive numbers of Common Myna feeding on the lawns of a school in
Atherton, north Queensland.
At that time I asked one of Australia's leading ornithologists what he
thought about the Common Myna problem, and he replied "What can we do?"
This response frustrated me.
So I was thrilled to see that Dr Chris Tidemann has taken the Common
Myna out of the too-hard basket and declared war on them.
Each and every day our native birds face the threats posed by this
aggressive introduced bird!
I spoke to Dr Tidemann, and asked him how I could help the cause. I am
sure he would email info to you if you want to help our native birds
too.
His phone number is (02) 61252375.
Cheers.
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