 An Unwanted Mynah Bird
|
June 30, 2003 — Mynah birds have reached pest proportions and threaten Samoa's biodiversity, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment said.
The bird, originally imported by the British from India to control cattle ticks, has now claimed large parts of Fiji and the Cook Islands.
Together with the South Pacific Regional Environment Program, the ministry intends to start a program to control mynah numbers.
|
 
|
|||||||
Traps from Australia will be used, the ministry said.
Mynahs have conquered the rubber trees that line Apia's main street, Beach Road, depositing an alarming amount of droppings daily and making deafening noises at dusk.
The smell and noise undermine efforts to turn Apia into an attractive experience for tourists.
The control program is to start at Beach Road before heading outwards to villages.
Two species live in Samoa — the Jungle Mynah, introduced in 1965, and the Indian Mynah, released there 23 years later.
Last year the Fiji National Trust director Birendra Singh said native birds' numbers have been much reduced.
"There is a growing number of introduced birds such as the mynahs, Malay doves and the bulbuls that threaten our endemic birds," Singh said. "Forest habitat destruction by commercial logging, agriculture, burning and illegal trade in birds is also taking a huge toll. Little has been done to protect the flora and fauna of Fiji."
< news main
