January 25, 2010Comments are closed.council pound
When I say it, please understand it’s wild speculation. When they say it; there’s you know, science and shit.
They’re territorial pests who threaten native wildlife, but Indian myna birds are being shot, electrocuted and tortured by those who refuse to use baited traps.
More than 100,000 Indian mynas have been killed using a legal, do-it-yourself trap and several NSW councils have introduced eradication programs.
But the RSPCA is concerned about cruelty to the introduced species by those using weapons such as air rifles, poisons and other unsanctioned methods to kill them.
It has warned that those destroying and disposing of the birds illegally could face heavy fines or jail time.
Several people on an online forum offered “simple” suggestions to eradicate mynas.
“I have shot, poisoned, trapped and electrocuted them, but the most effective way is to shoot them with an accurate air rifle,” one user said.
Another posted: “An excellent result was achieved by sprinkling dog food with an aphid poison. They’re dead within minutes.”
Birds caught in legal traps are usually destroyed after being administered euthanasing gas, usually from the exhaust pipe of a car while the engine is cold.
But RSPCA inspector Matt French said he believed only pest-control companies should destroy the birds.
“If you catch a Indian myna bird, you shouldn’t take euthanasing into your own hands,” Mr French said.
“If people connect a tube to the exhaust pipe of a car, depending on the make, model and age of the car there could be an uncontrollable mixture of gases.
“If the engine is hot, the birds’ lungs can be burned and scalded.
“Obviously, they’re not a native bird and many people find them a pest, but there’s no justification for people to take matters into their own hands.
“Regardless of a personal opinion on these birds, the damage they do or the noise they make, they’re still animals that deserve to be treated with respect.”
