Night Parrot Killed by Feral Cat

By Birding-Aus, on February 18th, 2015

News of this incident has been picked up by the wider media: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/health-science/night-parrot-falls-prey-to-feral-cat/story-e6frg8y6-1227223297466 I make the point in this article that the issue at hand is more immediate than the wider issue of the need to control feral cat populations. We do not know if this species is more widespread than is presently known or if John Young’s south-west Queensland population is tiny, remnant and isolated. John undoubtedly has the interests of the parrots at heart and is working hard to protect the birds. It is time, however, for the Queensland Government, possibly with assistance from Canberra, to intervene and take charge of the situation. The parrots belong to no individual. We know that feral cats are killing Night Parrots in what could be a threatened remnant population. It is simply not good enough that the problem is left in the hands of individuals and private companies to deal with. Government authorities have legal responsibilities to act and they need to do so, now. Greg Roberts

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pratincole08

February 18, 2015 at 1:13 pm

I agree with Carl on this issue. Give any project to the govt and it immediately seems to become public property ( which lets the often destructive twitchers and do-gooders in), and, because of the absence of any political mileage to be gained by putting any resources into it , it rapidly dies on the vine. I say keep it private. —–Original Message—– Carl Clifford Sent: Wednesday, 18 February 2015 12:01 PM Cc: birding-aus Greg, There will be the usual Government process, where there will be hand wringing and a series of procrastinatory investigations, in the hope that the Night Parrot will become extinct, and so nothing more can be done. Unfortunately there are not many votes to lost or gained from the Night Parrot, no money to be made from it, so it is doubtful that there will be any useful action by Governments, State or Federal. Much more important things to deal with, such as attracting mining or similar industries. Carl Clifford

carlsclifford

February 18, 2015 at 11:30 am

Greg, There will be the usual Government process, where there will be hand wringing and a series of procrastinatory investigations, in the hope that the Night Parrot will become extinct, and so nothing more can be done. Unfortunately there are not many votes to lost or gained from the Night Parrot, no money to be made from it, so it is doubtful that there will be any useful action by Governments, State or Federal. Much more important things to deal with, such as attracting mining or similar industries. Carl Clifford

February 18, 2015 at 11:15 am

Tony, It is not really advertising, but the Australian’s paywall. You can’t any content on the Aus without being a subscriber. It is similar with the Age and SMH, which only allow 30 looks for free in a month. At least with the Age and SMH, all you have to do is clear your browsers cookies and away you go again. Fairfax and News Corp are the only news sites I have come across that have such pay walls. Like most major Australian corporations, they think their average reader is a mug. Carl Clifford

ninderry

February 18, 2015 at 9:26 am

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. —– Original Message —– Cc: Sent:Wed, 18 Feb 2015 09:25:48 +1030 I was under the impression that advertising is not allowed on birding-aus. The website mentioned below is an advert by The Australian seeking new subscriptions to the paper, nothing else. Moderators please ? —–Original Message—– From: Birding-Aus [mailto:birding-aus-bounces@birding-aus.org] On Behalf Of Greg Roberts Sent: Wednesday, 18 February 2015 7:58 AM To: birding-aus Subject: [Birding-Aus] Night Parrot Killed by Feral Cat News of this incident has been picked up by the wider media: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/health-science/night-parrot-falls-prey-to-feral-cat/story-e6frg8y6-1227223297466 I make the point in this article that the issue at hand is more immediate than the wider issue of the need to control feral cat populations. We do not know if this species is more widespread than is presently known or if John Young’s south-west Queensland population is tiny, remnant and isolated. John undoubtedly has the interests of the parrots at heart and is working hard to protect the birds. It is time, however, for the Queensland Government, possibly with assistance from Canberra, to intervene and take charge of the situation. The parrots belong to no individual. We know that feral cats are killing Night Parrots in what could be a threatened remnant population. It is simply not good enough that the problem is left in the hands of individuals and private companies to deal with. Government authorities have legal responsibilities to act and they need to do so, now. Greg Roberts Birding-Aus mailing list Birding-Aus@birding-aus.org To change settings or unsubscribe visit: http://birding-aus.org/mailman/listinfo/birding-aus_birding-aus.org Links: —— [1] http://www.theaustralian.com.au/ [2] http://www.theaustralian.com.au/help/print/ [3] http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/health-science/night-parrot-falls-prey-to-feral-cat/story-e6frg8y6-1227223297466#

chris.sanderson

February 18, 2015 at 9:08 am

Actually Tony, what has happened here is the article Greg linked is behind a paywall. Frustrating but I’m presuming not intentional on Greg’s part. Happens all the time when people link news articles, even for Crikey. Cheers, Chris Sent from my iPhone

February 18, 2015 at 8:55 am

I was under the impression that advertising is not allowed on birding-aus. The website mentioned below is an advert by The Australian seeking new subscriptions to the paper, nothing else. Moderators please ? —–Original Message—– Sent: Wednesday, 18 February 2015 7:58 AM News of this incident has been picked up by the wider media: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/health-science/night-parrot-falls-prey-to-feral-cat/story-e6frg8y6-1227223297466 I make the point in this article that the issue at hand is more immediate than the wider issue of the need to control feral cat populations. We do not know if this species is more widespread than is presently known or if John Young’s south-west Queensland population is tiny, remnant and isolated. John undoubtedly has the interests of the parrots at heart and is working hard to protect the birds. It is time, however, for the Queensland Government, possibly with assistance from Canberra, to intervene and take charge of the situation. The parrots belong to no individual. We know that feral cats are killing Night Parrots in what could be a threatened remnant population. It is simply not good enough that the problem is left in the hands of individuals and private companies to deal with. Government authorities have legal responsibilities to act and they need to do so, now. Greg Roberts

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Night Parrot Killed by Feral Cat

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