Pest traps more than a myna contribution
Rally ace has win, granted new trial
TRAPS designed by Cairns Men’s Shed to eradicate myna birds are proving to be so “toad-ally” effective that they’re even trapping other pest animals.
More than 770,000 indian mynas have been removed from Cairns suburbs since the Men’s Shed organisation started constructing and selling their specially-designed traps six years ago.
Trap designer Ron Moon said that during that time, they had found there was also a significant “bycatch” of other pest animals lured to the wire cages.
“We’re finding that the traps also work for cane toads,” he said.
“We would have caught and removed thousands of toads during the past six years.
“We’ve even had the occasional rat, too.”
Myna birds, like cane toads, were introduced to the Far North in a failed attempt to control insects in cane fields, and other crops.
The India-originated species are regarded as pests as they mob and harass native birds and small native animals such as sugar gliders, and force them to abandon their natural breeding hollows.
The birds then colonise the area and aggressively prevent native birds from returning.
Rainbow lorikeets, kingfishers, kookaburras, doves, and peewees are among the pest birds’ local targets.
Mr Moon believed the combined efforts of the Cairns Men’s Shed, and volunteer community organisation Cairns Remove Indian Mynas (RIM) Inc, had put a major dent in populations of myna birds.
“We’re selling the traps really well at the moment,” he said. “A bloke came in the other day and said his mate had bought one a week-and-ahalf before, and had trapped 29 (myna birds) already.”
He said he could see the difference in his own backyard at Mt Sheridan.
“The native birds are coming back,” he said. “You can see all the doves, willy wagtails, sunbirds – I haven’t seen them around my place in years.”
Cairns RIM president Ian Brauman said with myna bird breeding season upon the region, now was the perfect time to use a trap in backyards to help eradicate the pest. A CAIRNS judge has thrown out a conviction against a legendary rally driver for “pinching” his neighbour’s bottom and ordered a retrial in the common assault case.
Ross Dunkerton, 72, was found guilty in September of an unwanted advance against his neighbour Judy Hope at her Trinity Park home in Bluewater Estate.
He was handed a 12-month good behaviour bond in the Cairns Magistrates Court.
But the motor racing driver launched an appeal against his conviction which was successfully upheld in the Cairns District Court yesterday where Judge Dean Morzone ordered a fresh trial.
Among the grounds argued by Mr Dunkerton’s defence was the issue over a victim impact statement from Mrs Hope which was only submitted by the prosecution in the final moments of the one-day trial.
The court had heard the pair and their respective partners had been friends before the incident, but Dunkerton had mistakenly believed Mrs Hope had been flirting with him for months when the alleged grope occurred.
A date for the retrial is yet to be set.