>While I applaud the sentencing (if only the same could happen to
>poachers), I must admit that I had the urge to dump out all my military
>gear and stuff my seabag full of cockatoos when leaving Australia. The
>base we
>were stationed at was plagued by flocks of hundreds of white and pink (and
>NOISY-don't take nightshift, that's my advice) cockatoos. It was odd;
>they were as common as starlings, but all I could see was the pet shop
>price tags...:) Fortunately, my good nature (and desire to not be
>court-martialed) won out. :)
>
>-Pat
>scott931 at uidaho.edu

One of the many interesting things about Australia and cockatoos is that
it's illegal to export Galahs (the beautiful pink and gray--and very
abundant--species) from Australia, but they are often "controlled" in large
numbers where they are agricultural pests. Same old story that always
compromises our species. If the government did the reasonable thing, it
would allow large-scale trapping of the pest birds for the pet trade,
although some might question whether a life in a cage is much better than a
shotgun pellet in the brain. However, I suspect they think this would make
the detection of illegally taken birds more difficult (and they're right),
so they don't do it.

Under such a scenario, my suggestion would be to implant every bird with a
detection device just like those that protect books in some book stores, so
the legally exported birds could be monitored at any point. The illegal
birds wouldn't have the chips. But then someone would bribe a minor
official and get a few thousand chips, or steal them. Oh well....

Dennis Paulson, Director phone 206-756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax 206-756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416
web site: http://www.ups.edu/biology/museum/museum.html