Hungry cockatoos devouring outback town

[ecarina]

Flocks of cockatoos feast on everything in sight
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Flocks of cockatoos are destroying community facilities, trees and power equipment at Orroroo in northern South Australia. housands of birds have been around the town for months. Council CEO Iian Wilson estimates the damage bill from the birds at more than $50,000.

"We've got some radio antennas at the council building and they've chewed the wires off the radio antennas. They chew the wires off the lights at the oval so, you know, on a Tuesday night when you go and play footy and you turn the lights on, well they just don't work," he said. "It's got to a point that they're settling on the asphalt playing surfaces at the netball courts and the tennis courts and they were actually picking off the asphalt.

"What was happening was that there was seeds getting into the tracks in the asphalt and the cockatoos were after the seeds, so what they'd do is they pick off the asphalt."

Mr Wilson says the council has ruled out a cull but he admits scare tactics such as firing guns in the air or using plastic hawks as deterrents are not working. Bird handler Paul Willcock trains falcons to help move on flocks of problem birds. But even he is considering other ways to deal with the cockatoos. "Fair enough if they're in a town, eating a town, better to move them on, but the real answer to it is, you know, I believe you need to do a cull."

More: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-04-16/co...ge/3951940

[Blackpool]

That is wild.

[Bryn]

Wow! I had no idea they could do that. I love them cockatoos. Who knew?

[tango-tee]

Bryn, that photo brings to mind a moment years ago when I was on the trolley, heading back to the apartment from Mom's house. The trolley crossed the railroad switch station on the overpass, heading downhill a bit. As I looked out of the window, there was a fellow with a long ponytail zipping along on one of these old-fashioned Dutch bikes - with a cockatoo sitting in the center of the handlebars! The little feather on the back of the bird's head fluttered in the breeze, but the bird was as cool as a cucumber. I did a double-take and told myself, tee, you gotta get off the booze, you're seeing things.

[Bryn]

No, T-T ... you weren't seeing things! Cockatoos are intelligent and wonderful.