I have just returned from a very disappointing bird watching tour of
Vietnam.
The Vietnamese population is intent on wiping out all bird life by shooting,
trapping or poisoning and is succeeding. One can drive for a whole day
through farm land and not see a single bird, not even a myna. The paddy
fields are green deserts with a few but only a few egrets and pond herons,
but above, where one would expect to see drongos, shrikes, kingfishers,
Dollarbirds on the telegraph wires there was nothing.
Some birds have taken refuge in the national parks where they are slightly
safer, but not beyond the reach of poachers and park rangers.
What makes matters worse is the behaviour of the guides. Every single one
of them has the calls on his mobile phone hooked up to an amplifier.
Imagine the effect of 6 or more guides, twice a day, seven days a week
patrolling the same small stretch of forest. It is little wonder that the
target species, pittas, pheasants etc ignore the calls and wander off in the
opposite direction.
How can one change the attitude of a whole population?
David Robertson
Adelaide
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