We Don't Support a Corella Cull - Show the Moyne Shire Council What You Think

The Moyne Shire Council is considering a mass cull of Australia's native corella birds, according to an article in The Standard published on the second of February, 2018.

South-west sports club members have complained that the birds are damaging ovals and trees. Whilst this is an issue that should be addressed, such a drastic measure of culling is not acceptable.

A previous article published by The Standard claimed that the community did not support culling, and especially its inhumane methods of netting and gassing which causes extreme distress to the birds. Corellas are exceptionally intelligent parrots, both mentally and emotionally, and the culling process is not a quick and painless one. The suffering these birds would endure is unjustifiable.

The towns of south-west Victoria would not be the same without the corellas. They are part of the towns' character, and they have called the region home for far longer than any of us.

According to the Government of Western Australia Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, one species of corella, 'Muir's corella', was at risk of extinction in the mid-1900s due to active controlling measures by 'primary producers', and listed as threatened fauna under the 'Wildlife Conservation Act 1950' in 1990. The species was removed from the Western Australia threatened species list less than six years ago. Other corella species, such as the western corella and tanimbar corella have also faced their fair share of population vulnerability. 

South-west Victoria is home to the eastern long-billed corella, a bird that tourists adore and most locals respect. It is our responsibility to protect these birds from suffering the same fate as other corella species.

According to Australian Wildlife Conservancy, 1 out of 3 mammal extinctions around the globe in the last 400 years have occurred in Australia. Since European settlement in 1788, 24 Australian bird species have gone extinct, along with 30 native mammal species. We need to acknowledge our past mistakes and learn from them. Culling corellas is not only a dangerous act for population numbers, as we have seen so often in the past how quickly numbers can drop and culling get out of hand, but a true disrespect to our country. We have already destroyed so much of Australia's wildlife and habitats, how much longer shall we allow this to go on?

May we remind the Moyne Shire Council that although they aim to seek a permit to cull local corellas, the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) claims that 'lethal control of wildlife should only be considered when all practical non-lethal methods have been investigated and were proven to be ineffective or impractical in managing the wildlife problem'. There is still much that can be tried before such harsh measures should ever even be contemplated, if at all.

It is understood that the ground quality of local sports ovals is important to people, and that corellas do decrease this quality, but certainly there is a solution available that all can benefit from, and where the lives of our local wildlife can be spared.