00:03Known as the flying cane toad, the Indian miner was introduced to control pest insects.
00:09But now, it's the pest.
00:12This is a highly invasive species, very aggressive to native birds.
00:16It affects both large birds and small birds.
00:20Twenty years ago, it was the third most common backyard bird in Canberra.
00:24As you were driving, they were flying across the road.
00:27Consulting with government, animal welfare groups and the community, volunteers set up an awareness and trapping program.
00:34Within a dozen years or so, we had them down to the 24th most common, so a massive drop in
00:40the numbers.
00:41In 2021, the ACT declared the Indian miner a pest species.
00:47We thought that that would be the start of a major concerted effort by government to lend their hand.
00:54Well, they're not doing anything.
00:54The government says the miner is not causing significant harm, despite it being a pest.
01:01The government supports the view of the RSPCA, their policy position, that encouraging trapping and killing common miners should not
01:08be encouraged.
01:09So the birds are breeding in big numbers.
01:11The number of people that have asked for traps since Christmas is really high, but we haven't been able to
01:17provide any.
01:18If they're concerned about the method of disposal, they should be providing a disposal service to the community.
01:25For the volunteers who see this problem flying under the radar, they want the government to lead with a precautionary
01:32approach.
01:33What we're not seeing is a threat to matters of national significance, our native birds.
01:38It's so disappointing, we see the ball being dropped here.
01:41A minor bird or a major issue.
01:45A minor bird or a major issue.
01:45A minor bird or a major video.
01:46A minor bird or a major有人 ate his position
01:49A minor bird a major bird or a major bird or a major bird or a major bird.
01:51A minor bird or a major bird or a major bird $1.
Comments