Lyndal Reading FED up with mynas eating into their
profits, Kangaroo Ground grape
growers are taking revenge on the pesky
predators.
Kings of Kangaroo Ground owner
Ken King and Redbox Vineyard
owner Colin Spencer have each
bought a device to trap and kill the
noisy and aggressive pest.
Mr King said the Indian mynas ate
about 20 per cent of his crop last
year, while Mr Spencer said the
figure was closer to a quarter.
"It's the major cause of fruit loss
on my vineyard," Mr King said.
Developed by the Australian
National University, the Myna Magnet
attracts and captures birds. |
Mynas naturally fly up into the top
section of the cage, while other
birds remain below.
The mynas can then be culled and
the other birds set free.
Mr King said the mynas were killed
by covering the cage and pumping
carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide into it.
He said he caught a dozen mynas
in two trapping sessions.
"I think I've made a substantial
dent in the population," Mr King said.
"I'm just waiting for others to move in."
Department of Sustainability and
Environment spokeswoman Gill
Cooper said mynas were not protected
and carbon dioxide was a legitimate
way to euthanase. |
" DSE has no objections to the use of
cages for trapping as long as any native
birds caught are released and the
Indian mynas killed humanely,"
Ms Cooper said.
Mr King said at $400 the Myna Magnet
was expensive, but less expensive
than suffering crop losses. He said the
mynas were smart and could crawl
under netting laid over grape vines.
Mr King encouraged neighbours to
band together to buy a trap. "People
could put $100 in each and they could
have a major impact on the myna
population," he said.
|
Mr Spencer said that in the past,
starlings were the biggest problem at
his Kangaroo Ground vineyard, but
they had been overtaken by mynas.
"We're getting mynas in much
bigger numbers now," Mr Spencer
said.
He said the mynas were a major
problem through summer, when the
vines were laden with grapes, and he
expected the problem to be worse
this summer.
"There's been plenty of fruit left on
the vines, so there's been tucker for
them," he said. "When there's food
around, their numbers increase." |
