Following on from the CAT thread, this link was contained in the Shorebirds article which I just posted. Not my intention to start another contentious thread, but if we are serious about protecting our wildlife, then these issues need raising.
Lets have some worthwhile discussion, and not descend into another "bun fight".
Thought it was worth providing this link as well, particularly as this provides some data in relation to attacks by dogs.
The article mentions the "Peter Murrel Reserve" which is close to where I grew up. What many don't know is that there are still some nesting sites for the endangered species "Forty Spotted Pardalotte"
Hey, bun fights are fun! I've got a cream pie around here just waiting for the next person to post!
It's interesting that alot of this stuff is coming out of Tasmania- I recently read a study from University of Tasmania discussing how dogs are potentially more dangerous to wildlife than cats.
I knew that:
dogs are potentially more dangerous to wildlife than cats.
I have seen my Labrador kill a Bandicoot infront of my eyes, faster than I could run
All the hunting dogs have that instinct. They are extremely fast and efficient at it. She just grabbed the animal by the neck, held it for a few seconds....., drop.....dead
And all that happened in her fenced off area, during the day.The dog was doing what she was meant to do, it's in her breeding. Fortunately she doesn't hunt birds, she just walks past them, and they are not scared of her. But I trained that out of her by using a water pistol every time she even looked at a bird. You can train a dog, but not a cat????
M-L
I think the dog v/s cat argument is unwinnable so I won't go there (although I'd love to stir the pot). I think we are lucky in this country that we have regulation and that dog owners are pretty responsible and caring, in the main. A marked difference to the way canines are treated in Asia, some caged and eaten as in China, Korea, etc and some left to wander the cities starving and disease-ridden as in Thailand. Dog-napping is common in Cambodia, where a motor cyclist will ride past the front gate and his pillion passenger will slip a wire noose around a dog's neck and speed off, dragging the dog behind until they can bag it up for the cooking pot.
Man's best friend, but to deserve that friendship man has to be thoughtful and considerate of his charge, of others, and the environment.
Hi Night Parrot, not suggesting there should be a competition, but if we are serious about "ferals" then dogs and cats are probably the main culprits, thinking in terms of "domesticated ferals" and should both considered unkind to our natives, therefore deserve equal discussion.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Yes by all means Dale. I agree. Did I sound as if I didn't? One never knows how one will be interpreted on an internet forum.
No Night Parrot, I never took it that way, my interpretation from all of your comments (that I have read since joining here) are that your main concern is for the protection of our native species. As we all do, you are entitled to have and express your opinions.
All pet owners need to acknowledge and accept responsibility for the action of their animals, and while most do, a minority spoil everything for all the responsible people. Dogs can be equally as devastating as cats, but the shear volume of feral cats is what most choose to highlight on such forums.
This thread was started to highlight the impact that irresponsible dog owners can have on our environment. All domestic pets have potential to negatively affect our world, and the owners should be held accountable.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
Yes, Dale. Wild dogs are a large problem, and they grow very big. I have seen huge wild dogs in the Snowy Mountains.
Domestic dogs with complacent owners also.
But what about the Rabbit?
Did you know that the rabbit is a declared pest yet apart from QLD they can be kept as pets?
Shorty......Canon gear
Canberra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/
Yes Shorty I was aware of that re the rabbits. I was not so aware of wild dogs, in the Snowys. In Tasmania, domestic escapee rabbits are breeding with the "wild" rabbits, although I am not sure wild is the correct term. We often see black and other colour rabbits.
There has at least been some attempt to eradicate feral rabbits, even if the methods (which I do not necessarily agree with) are not particularly humane. There are signs of times a changing, with our state government having created a sub department called "Biosecurity Tasmania", which replaces the "Invasive Species Branch".
As Shorty previously highlighted there has been success in the eradication of all feral species on Macquarie Island, and I believe the successful eradication of European Carp, from most ofour inland waters. Carp were introduced in 1975 and 1980 according to our Inland Fisheries Service, have been eradicated in all but one lake (Lake Sorell). Concerted efforts are being made to eradicate them from Lake Sorell as well.
Here is a link to current bio security threats in Tasmania
http://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/invasive-species
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
We have severe penalties for the murder of humans. Since humans are but one of many animal species ought the same penalties apply to the murder of native animals?
The list of ferals in Australia is a long one ,the thing that annoys me about the ones causing the most problems is that they were introduced on perpose , they even introduced some of the worst ones to try to to clean up other mistakes .
Then we have the domestic pets and farming stock gone wild.
A friend from Melb Uni wrote a few papers on this many years ago in which he found that of many pests we have here the ones that posed the biggest danger to Australian wildlife were the cat and dog and said that a program for compulsory desexing should be introduced as well as eradication program for the feral population this was back in the early 70's and he was criticised and accused of writing it for financial gain.---?
One of the others he wrote papers on was the Black Rat.
Certainly, compulsory desexing of pets would be a great start (unless the owner has an expensive breeders permit). The more pet owners that recognise that the better. It's better for the environment, and makes the animal a better pet. Society needs to weaned off the 'moggy' and 'mutt' concepts, as it encourages them to place less value in their pets. If the supply of non-purebreed pets was heavily restricted, people would buy less pets (and spur of the moment purchases would crash), and value the animals they have more. Plus, it would encourage people to adopt strays and ferals, rather than depositing them on the RSPCA's doorstep to be euthanised.
It'd also be good if sales of kittens and puppies were prohibited until the animals were about 1.5 years old. That way there'd be less people buying a cute puppy or kitten and dumping it once it grows up and becomes too much for them.
How much blame for impulses pet buying should we apportion to the decline in critical thinking in our education institutions?
Nothing wrong with our educational institutions; they're not to blame. Sadly, when faced with cute kitten or puppy, most people don't think. For a lot, that's ok, but for others, it ends with the animal being turfed out.
Probably a lot Woko.
I think there are two types of "impulse" or unconsidered "purchase" . As with inflation, there are the "demand pull" and the "supply push" types of catalyst. The first, demand pull, is when a bogan sees a cute puppy or kitten in a pet shop window and "just has to have it". The second, supply push, is more iniquitous. It is when someone has an unwanted litter and wants to get rid of them as fast as possible. They do so by pressurising friends and relatives, (usually through their children) to take them, whether or not those friends or relatives are even equipped to take them or whether or not they are likely to be responsible pet owners. Its a sad situation and yes, education could make a big difference. As can tight regulation.
I like your demand - pull, supply - push analysis, Night Parrot. I suspect that's the sort of critical thinking that's not being taught in our schools. It shows how complex this whole issue of CATS & DOGS is in our society & how it needs to be tackled at a variety of levels.
If I remember my economics classes at school correctly, I think the term is cost push. But in regard to the pet market, commercial norms don't apply because the incentive for profit is not always paramount. In this regard, sparrow and Laclan's comments make sense because if you regulate out the amateur and accidental breeders, there would be much less dumping in the market, prices would rise and potential pet owners might think twice about taking on the responsibility of owning a pet. If they do, they might value it more and so be more likely to do the right thing in regard to community expectations.
Sorry Woko, I disagree. Critical thinking is taught in schools (at least in NSW, where I live). Indeed, it is one of the major concerns of secondary schooling. Rote learning has largely been removed from the syllabus in order to get students to analyse and interpret what they see in a text. From what I've read, Australia has some of the better schooling programmes in the world, despite the scaremongering of federal govenrments.
Pleased to hear it, Lachlan. Now to get some of those critical thinkers into the federal parliament!
Qld have a $3000 bounty per rabbit, I have a pic somewhere of the sign at the Bruxner Hway to Texas, Qld border
Peter
A couple of photographs from newspapers and a graph showing the distribution of Rabbits in Australia.
Samford Valley Qld.
Another one about Rabbits.......
Samford Valley Qld.
Wild dog eating Rabbits at Wedgie Valley
\
But it did try to chase down the roos
Shorty......Canon gear
Canberra
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rawshorty/