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Subject: Bird scaring
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G'day Birders,
this weeks 'New Scientist' has a little article about some
researchers =
who are trying to condition captive breed Rhea's to fear predators. =
There is a link (included below) to a web site, which is, unfortunately
=
in Portuguese (I assume), but the article says enough. The pictures on =
the site are rather amusing.
Cheers
Graham Turner
http://www.newscientist.com/opinion/opfeedback.jsp?id=3Dns246199#19
"VISITORS to the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais,
Brazil, =
would be forgiven for fearing that their breakfast had been spiked.
They =
may well be treated to the sight of a black-caped figure wearing a =
horror-movie mask running round the campus after a large flightless =
bird, while a colleague manoeuvres a stuffed jaguar on a wheelbarrow.
These earnest researchers are trying, reader Lauro Venancio Zier
assures =
us, to teach captive-born rheas to run away from their natural =
predators. An admirable aim when the birds are about to be released
into =
the wild, and if you don't believe us there are pictures at =
www.uol.com.br/ cienciahoje/chdia/n966.htm.
The perils of trying to manipulate rhea psychology are illustrated, =
however, by the observation that the birds subjected to this treatment =
have in fact developed a healthy fear of wheelbarrows."
http://www2.uol.com.br/cienciahoje/chdia/n966.htm
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