Yeah, But That’s Different
Seeing the attention some of our wild birds receive and the extreme lengths various people go to, I started to consider what seemed generally acceptable. While some appeared to have become intolerant of our wild birds, I noticed a rather high tolerance in regards to peoples own animals and a few other things that seemed okay.
My Dog Doesn’t Bark
I’ve heard a number of dog owners say “my dog doesn’t bark”, but thought, what they should be saying is “my dog doesn’t bark when I’m there”. Our area, being made up of larger blocks of land, is home to a number of barking and loose dogs. But I have yet to hear a single owner actually stop them barking. Obviously they don’t call the Council or Rangers on their own animals, but even if they complained about a neighbouring dog, what action would be taken? They wouldn’t be killed for barking because that would be cruel and excessive, yet its often a death sentence for our wild birds when people make complaints of them. I have found that peoples attitudes quickly change when it concerns their own animals and have often heard the “yeah, but that’s different” excuse. Why is it birds calling often results in their death, yet barking dogs are generally accepted because that’s what they do? Surely dogs are a larger problem out there than birds.
Cat Crazy
As I was going through the footage writing who protects our wildlife there was another thing I had noticed, especially at night – cats. One was a neighbours cat (which to be fair was loose but had a bell on its collar) but there were others that were causing quite the destruction to wildlife. They were killing birds and just leaving their bodies there. They weren’t killing for food and they didn’t appear to be feral cats.
If you’re thinking you could have used a rifle and shot that cat to protect the wild birds, you’d probably find you would be in court charged with cruelty, and the maximum penalty for that crime would be somewhere around a $50,000 fine and four years jail. What makes the above situation cruel when the exact same thing is done to our birds or wallaby by animal management teams? Our wild animals are often culled by shooting, cervical dislocation, or poisoning, yet they consider that humane. Does a permit all of a sudden make these techniques a humane death?
Dogs Be Free
Something that also appeared to be fine in our area was loose dogs. This one was surprising considering how often the Council would sit outside our place. I’m guessing it is because people think that if they are out of heavily populated streets that its okay to let their dogs roam and have a bit of fun. This seemed a fairly prevalent occurrence but nobody seemed to mind, even when a neighbourhood dog was torn up and killed by another loose dog, nothing changed. It was bound to happen with so many roaming the street – certainly not a pleasant way for any animal to end its life. If a loose dog ran down a wild animal, who would stop it?
While documenting our local dogs, I had also captured the ‘Stealth Stool Maneuver’ used amongst people walking their animals. Have you ever stepped in dog crap and wondered why you never saw it? I believe I now have the answer….
Only The Birds We Like?
Another thing that surprised me was some people complaining about birds, were also feeding them. Why would you feed birds if you were complaining about them? It gave me an idea to research a little more on the tactics used to kill our wild birds. From what I could find it appeared that when a culling operation begins they then feed them in an area for a time. I’d guess this is to increase their numbers and the impact of a culling, then usually end it with poison, shooting, or trapping them. I was left with a number of questions: How do they cull the adult birds and not the younger ones? How can poison target a specific breed of bird without other birds eating it too? And once again, how can they consider the methods used to kill our birds humane when they are so extreme and would be classified as cruelty if you didn’t have a permit? Surely a piece of paper doesn’t absolve people of cruelty.
Could a complaint of birds in an area actually be the result of them feeding them in preparation of a culling? Its perfectly plausible, DNA samples from pigs in Western Australia have shown evidence to suggest wild pigs have been spread on purpose, possibly so that they can then be hunted. Having had someone yelling out that they would keep killing anything that flies into my backyard I personally believe culling operations are done by people who simply get a thrill from killing animals. Much of what they can get away with is probably because there isn’t the awareness from the public of what is happening and how it is done.
It’s OK To Be Batman In Brisbane
In an area South of Brisbane the residents there were complaining about a colony of flying foxes that had settled into the neighbourhood. They complained that they were smelly and that the whole sky was just covered in them. So the local Council started working on a plan to move the animals on. If you thought they would cull them because of damage caused to the area, the stench from droppings, the risks of spreading disease, or for being too noisy – Nope, those excuses only work for our feathered friends it seems.
There were an estimated 90,000 of those flying foxes, but that’s okay. Don’t worry about the Hendra virus killing your dog or horse either. Once again the phrase “yeah, but that’s different” was ringing in my mind. Imagine if those were birds flying around roosting in those locals trees? Even if it wasn’t 90,000 lets say it was 100 Cockatoos or Corellas you know what would happen then, they would most likely be culled. The more I looked, the more it seemed like birds might just be getting a raw deal here in Queensland.
“If a venomous snake bites you and you’re rushed to hospital in a life and death struggle, you can rest assured that snakes are protected under the Nature Conservation Act 1992.”
Gone To The Dogs
Australia is definitely a dog country, but maybe you should give some thought as to why. I’m not talking about working dogs, I mean the household ones. Have you noticed just how often they are shown to you on TV and in the papers? I think when you start to see how prevalent the adverts and articles are with dogs appearing in them, you may be quite surprised. And you might just realise why, when you ask your kids what pet they want, they’ll likely respond “a dog”. If you have ever had issues with barking and nothing seems to be done about it consider how much money those dogs and owners generate. This could be a reason why so little is done about issues with barking. You and your new dog are a great income for councils, vets, pet insurance companies, kennels, and pet stores.
“How many times have you heard about a bird killing or mauling someone? Yet they are often set upon with extreme prejudice using methods that are very disturbing, yet considered humane.”
Knowing that people are out there counting our birds and deciding their fate all the time, I wondered how many dogs are around our small stretch of road. I could certainly hear them at various hours of the day and night, but with a lack of surveillance and vehicles patrolling out the front of dog owners houses, it was hard to tell. The stats from our local council website show there are around 60,000 registered dogs and I doubt its possible to estimate the unregistered ones. Still, it was not a bad count considering the humble dog is ranked the third highest animal responsible for human deaths. In 2016 in our local Council alone, there have been 543 reported complaints regarding dog attacks or bites, and 633 reported incidents in 2017. UPDATE – In the four months to April 2018 there have already been 156 dog attacks reported to our local Council. I’ve certainly seen a number of close calls between walkers, runners, and dogs.
Hopefully reading through this will give you a different perspective on things. Don’t forget to consider your own animals and their impact on our environment before complaining about nature. Just because you can destroy the things you don’t like doesn’t mean you should. And just because dog issues are often skimmed over, likely due to the income they generate, doesn’t mean everyone has to just put up with it. If you are sick of hearing your neighbours dog, give your local Council a call and ask for the ‘Department of Environment and Science-Council Combo’.
