Tony
When I sent my post, the article was accessible to the public on the
link below. Obviously what happened is that The Australian
subsequently put the article and presumably others behind a paywall.
Nothing more insidious than that I am afraid, whatever conspiracy
theories you may wish to indulge.
The article is reprinted below.
Greg Roberts
NIGHT PARROT FALLS PREY TO FERAL CAT
* MARIE HOGG
* THE AUSTRALIAN [1]
* FEBRUARY 18, 2015 12:00AM
* Print [2]
* Save for later [3]
AN AUSTRALIAN NIGHT PARROT, ONE OF THE WORLD’S RAREST BIRDS, HAS
BEEN KILLED IN SOUTHWEST QUEENSLAND BY A FERAL CAT, PROMPTING CALLS
FOR GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION TO BETTER MANAGE THE TINY POPULATION.
There have only been a handful of sightings of the colourful bird
over the past century but birdwatcher and naturalist Greg Roberts said
last night the death was “a serious development”.
“The Queensland government has a legal obligation to protect
endangered wildlife, but they’ve done nothing to try and involve
itself in doing something to get a proper management regime in
place,” he said.
Mr Roberts said the privately owned land where the bird was killed
should be declared a national park.
Bushman and naturalist John Young discovered the small population of
night parrots in 2013, photographing a bird for the first time in a
feat revealed by _The Australian_. Mr Roberts confirmed the dead bird
was one of this colony.
“We have confirmed beyond doubt that a night parrot was killed by a
feral cat, one of the very small populations discovered by John Young
recently,” he said.
“As a result of that, sharpshooters have been hired, and have moved
into the property.”
Since his original discovery, Mr Young and scientist Stephen Murphy
have continued research in the region, finding the parrot at several
other locations.
The enigmatic night parrot bounces along the ground, puffs itself up
to display its green and gold plumage and bangs its head on the ground
when excited.
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