Hi Steve,
I am strongly opposed to the artificial feeding of wild birds however when
populations of threatened species are concerned it needs to be considered as
a temporary option, such as the feeding of Cassowaries in FNQ following the
cyclones.
To know whether this option would be a good one for the Brolgas a number of
questions need to be answered. These include:
What has happened to the population in previous droughts?
Are there other alternative natural dryland food sources?
What effect would the feeding of (?large amounts) grain have on birds that
scavenge grain as only part of their normal diet?
Does the population have the ability to move out of the area temporarily to
areas with a better food supply?
I am sure that there other relevant questions. I understand that Matthew
Herring and others have been studying Brolgas in Victoria for some years now
so their work may provide a good basis to consider the pros and cons of your
hypothetical.
Greg Clancy
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