Calls for corella cull continue

Busy birds: Corella populations are causing damage in Dandaragan, while in Moora there are mixed feelings about culling. Image by Patrick M CORELLA numbers in Dandaragan remain strong in spite of a recent cull of up to 1000 birds.

The birds continue to cause damage in the town according to Shire of Dandaragan ranger Chris Carey.

“It would appear we’ve not even made an impact,” Mr Carey said.

“The birds are back roosting in the trees in the thousands.”

He said damage done by the birds to the insulation of power lines sometimes resulted in power cuts.

In addition, the corellas have caused damage to the waterproofing rubber of tech screws in roofs.

They have also torn tarpaulin covers at wheat bins and caused damage to trees.

Mr Carey said the shire had requests for culling from 18 farmers with properties near the town.

“The farming community is very encouraging of the shire’s decision to cull,” Mr Carey said.

In spite of the corella population remaining strong, Mr Carey said he had now found out the birds’ flight path.

He said the shire used the Sporting Shooters Association of WA for the cull.

The success of a cull depended partly on the number of shooters present, which Mr Carey said on this occasion was not adequate.

He said the shire planned a further cull in five to six weeks, with the reissue of a permit from the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC).

DEC nature conservation co-ordinator for Moora District Benson Todd said the birds were protected under the Wildlife Protection Act.

He acknowledged the birds caused damage to property and said individuals who could prove the damage being caused could gain a damage permit from the department to cull a fixed number of birds.

Mr Todd said the permit would be for a fixed time and location and would allow the culling of a fixed number of corellas by people specified on the permit.

The period of time and number of birds depended on the extent of damage caused.

Mr Todd said a department representative might be sent to assess the damage done by the birds before the permit was granted.

He also said the permit specified the methods of culling allowed and the correct disposal of carcasses, to ensure safe and humane procedure.

“People will also need to speak with the local police to gain clearance to use a firearm,” he said.

“It’s not a recreational pursuit.

“At the end of the day, the culling needs to be done in a very controlled manner.

“There’s a fine line between living in nature and living with nature.”

Shire of Moora health, building and planning services manager Ewen Ross said the shire received two formal complaints regarding the corellas on local ovals and had received a number of verbal complaints.

He said so far there had been no complaints from farmers in the shire, but the shire had received a complaint from a strong opponent to any culling.

“The shire has received one complaint concerning the shooting of corellas,” Mr Ross said.

“This complainant has also taken the complaint further as they believe the shire should not be shooting.”

He said the shire had a current license from DEC to cull 1000 birds, but at this stage the culling was on a small scale of six or seven a day, carried out by ranger Murray Matthews and six other shooters.

Mr Ross said the shire also used bird scaring devices to move the birds on, but neither method was enough to affect the bird’s population.

“What is really needed is an enduring solution,” he said.

“A shoot-out is not going to be the answer.”

Mr Ross said DEC needed a state-wide or at least regional approach to the issue.

“The corella issue is a WA-wide concern and an approach to DEC to look at a co-ordinated approach is being investigated,” he said.

He said the shire acknowledged the birds were increasing in numbers, were a noise issue and had in the past caused damage to shire-managed property.

“A large scale cull using a recognised gun club can be a cost effective method, but not everyone is in agreement,” Mr Ross said.

“There are mixed feelings with regards large scale culls and we have not instigated any cull for this season.

“If we had a lot of noise supporting a cull, we would consider it.”

Mr Ross said he understood the corellas were migratory birds who would move on in March.

Department of Agriculture and Food veterinary epidemiologist Chris Hawkins said the likelihood of the birds spreading disease to humans was, while hard to quantify, not likely to occur other than in exceptional circumstances.

Mr Hawkins said psittacosis, a disease spread through parrots’ droppings, caused a mild flu-like condition which could be much more severe for people with impaired immune systems.