trying to nest in pagola, the mess on ground and shelf.
wire, plastic, grass I keep removing thier garbage ..
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Keep at it George, you're doing a good job. Stop the nesting of the indian mynas in your pergola and you have probably prevented thousands of offspring being born in future years. Ask your council about availability of myna traps; some councils have them. If they don't, they should.
We need an all-purpose Indian Mynah rant thread!
Good luck chasing them away, George.
These mynas are obviously a major concern. Myna eradication could just about be justified as a sub-forum of its own, as Lachlan suggests! If we add to that house sparrows, starlings, spotted turtle doves, feral pigeons & blackbirds we could have a feral eradication sub-forum!
Yes a rant sub-topic. Great idea. From feral birds, feral animals to feral people such as cat owners, tree-loppers, petrol heads and dirt bike riders. On a wider scale we could include totalitarian regimes, pollution, animal cruelty, corruption, religious extremism, over-fishing, destruction of wild habitat, etc, etc. The list goes on. And on. How depressing.
Hmmm, I guess a subforum or topic for rants could be good... Maybe it would localise some of the issues that have discouraged people from the forum?
Gosh I think a rant section would get a good workout!
As long as posts stick within the rules of the forum then I could create a special subforum or alternatively a single vent thread that can be sticked and all vents can go in there?
I am so new here and have been enjoying reading posts immensely, thinking i have finally found some ppl i can relate to... so i am loathe to tempt a rant in my direction but i must add my experience of Indian Mynahs.
In the last 3 years, the pair which lives in my garden, aka Heckle & Jeckle, have successfully raised Brush Cuckoos (i think, altho my ID may be incorrect) over 2 of those years.
I always thought that if you provided good native bird habitat, then IMs wouldn't be much of a problem, prefering as they do to eat Cheezels, etc. They are certainly not a problem in my city garden and non-existent in my other more rural garden in an outer suburb.
Just saying - please don't whack me. Lou
I won't whack you Lou. I think you are correct in that indian mynahs tend to hang around open places and built up areas where they can find human-produced food. You are probably also correct in saying that they stay away good native bird habitat ie good in the sense that it is densely planted and has various layers.
Interesting observations, Lou. They've confirmed my thoughts about the use of native, particularly indigenous, vegetation in combatting the dreaded Indian mynas.
I guess, after all, it's not the Mynah's fault they live here...
Btw, am I the only one who spells it 'Mynah'?
That's correct Lachlan, its not their fault. Which is why they should be humanely destroyed and not tortured. The same goes for cane toads and other ferals. But one must make a choice. Because mynas evict native birds from their nests, either we destroy them or our native birds die. Its really up to us. Recently on this forum someone reported that wagtails? were nesting in their backyard and at the same time also mentioned that the neighbours had a cat. I seem to remember the strory that in the end, the cat got the birds.
edited by Holly
True, but I see no problem with domestic cats when adequately controled- ie., brought in at the start of dusk, not allowed out until well after sunrise (and being fed), collars with bells (although, cats can control the amount bells ring), and general disencouragement to go outside.
Btw, with Cane Toads, my Grandpa puts them in the freezer to kill them after he catches them... Does anyone know if this still regarded as acceptable, as I think I read somewhere that the RSPCA had suggested a change in practises?
By all means keep the cats inside, it makes it so much easier to catch toxoplasmosis from them.
I couldn't believe it last week when I read in my local newspaper that a cat show had just been held and how popular it had been. Unfortunately people who don't care about Australian native birds still praise these ruthless killers. Feral cats are even a problem in cities now, last week I saw a mother with several kittens roaming around a large club's bin looking for scraps and when people approached they all ran into the gutter. I assume that's where they live. Cats should be banned from Australia for good.
For Australian birds, natives=life, exotics=death, so do them a favour and go plant some natives and save their lives.
Suprising how popular it was. The cat pavilion at my local town show always seems to be a pretty small affair. Feel sorry for the cats being shown as well, it can't be pleasant. Banning cats from Australia wouldn't do any good, as they have long since gone feral and are found in most ecosystems all across the continent.
Isn't toxoplasmosis pretty harmless?
Lachlan,
I hope your comment about toxoplasmosis (toxo) being "pretty harmless" is not a serious comment. Toxo is a serious zoonosis, which can particularly affect pregnant women and their unborn child. It is recommended that pregnant women who need to change cat litter trays, should wear gloves and masks, to avoid contamination, and if possible get someone else to do it for them.
The link below indicates that 80% of people with toxo, will show no symptoms, but that means 20% will, often as usual, the elderly, very young and immuno-compromised patient.
While toxo's transmission is not restricted to cat urine and faeces, it is a contributor in a lot of human cases. Toxo can be aquired through eating under cooked meat of an infected animal, an possibly this is the main cause in humans. Cooking of meat will kill the pathogen.
My main contact with toxo, is with wildlife (we do wildlife rescue), I personally have had put down over 50 wallaby, pademelon, possums, and a small number of other creatures over the past year. By the time the disease has an effect, it is usaully too late. Any wild animal, which can be easily caught, has something seriously wrong. Symptoms can be treated, but there is no cure.
http://ideas.health.vic.gov.au/bluebook/toxoplasmosis.asp
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
No, it was a serious comment; I had thought it was pretty harmless.
So, toxoplasmosis is a major health risk for wildlife then?
Hi everyone - there is some very interesting discussions and information in this thread.
I understand that the topic of feral animals, mynas, cats etc is a very passionate one. I just want to remind you to that there is a forum rule that states that posts cannot promote cruelty to animals. I am happy for their to be discussion of the humane euthanising of feral species such as mynas as long as the discussion is on those humane methods of course (and Lachlan - I don't believe that the RSPCA supports the freezing of cane toads anymore - it really is a cruel way to go). Similarly with cats, talk of killing domestic cats is outside the forum rules and posts promoting that will be edited.
Should we rename this thread as the general vent thread?
Shame on me to suggest killing the neighbour's cat. Suitably admonished, henceforth I will exercise due restraint and refer only to the need to "take action to deter" these murdering animals from invading the sanctuary of BIBY members' back yards.
Hi Lachlan, not sure of the figures for mainland Australia, but here in Tasmania, toxo is a big problem, with little that can be done in the overall scheme of things. Most people won't realise the extent and affect that Toxo has on wildlife. Toxoplasmosis is the second most common reason we become involved with animals which require rescuing, the first is road trauma, road kill is one of the biggest killers, toxo not far behind.
I take Holly's point with regard to euthanising of animals, feral or otherwise, however an animal that, is that unwell it can be captured, and is suspected of having toxo, needs to be humanely euthanised, in order to prevent a slow and probably painful death. Further it is important to dispose of these animals in such a way, that will prevent further spread to other species (native or otherwise), and so any animal whose death is not traumatic, will be buried. Otherwise these carcasses will be consumed by unsuspecting critters (remember meat needs to be cooked and not be pink in the middle) to prevent spread. I believe the practice is for vets to freeze, and then have cremated, with other pathology specimens, to prevent further spread. I may stand to be corrected.
I should also point out, that any animal which we come into contact with, which is not obvious toxo, is transported to a vet, for them to provide diagnosis and treatment or euthanasure if needed.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Lachlan, perhaps doublebar's idea of banning cats from Australia would have little effect on the resident population of these destructive animals. I'm still puzzled, however, that as a nation we seem intent on driving our native animals to extinction but don't apply the same ethic to feral animals such as cats. (By my definition all cats are feral.) I'm confident that if we placed a high value on our wildlife there would be little trouble in making cats extinct in Australia.
http://www.catsofaustralia.com/cat-enclosures.htm#.UoqTusV-_Mx
Just a thought ..Lou
A good thought Lou. But how many cat owners who would go to that trouble. In my eyes, the only thing that spoils that idyllic picture on the website you posted is the @#$#% cat.
A step in the right direction, Lou. But how humane is it to enclose a cat? Besides, we know that escapes occur. For me, far better not to have a cat at all & move towards their extinction in Australia.
Deleted.