Bird feed ban

By Casey Neill
THE Shire of Yarra Ranges is planning a law to ban residents feeding cockatoos in order to stamp out the millions of dollars of damage caused by the birds.
The move comes as homeowners complain that the birds are damaging their houses and intimidating them.
And attention has been focused on the public feeding of the birds at Grants Picnic Ground. Parks Victoria has been called on to stop the practice.
More than 150 people attended a public meeting at Burrinja Cultural Centre to discuss the issue last Thursday (12 June) including mayor Tim Heenan, councillors Noel Cliff and Samantha Dunn, environmentalists and residents and Department of Sustainability and Environment’s (DSE) Ian Tenby.
Upwey resident Kaz McKay said those who attended were asked to estimate the amount of damage cockatoos had caused to their property.
The 61 people who responded reported a total of $241,000.
“It’s evidence that we’re talking millions of dollars damage,” Ms McKay said.
As well as damage to pergolas, outdoor furniture and fascia boards, the birds’ screeching vocals caused many residents stress and anxiety, she said.
Some residents indicated they would be forced to move if the problem was not controlled.
“People are living in fear, they have literally said that,” Ms McKay said.
Ms McKay said a former ranger said the birds had also stripped the tops of the mountain ash trees in Sherbrooke Forest, upsetting the balance between native parrot species.
Residents have started two petitions on the issue, one calling on the shire to pass a by law prohibiting feeding of non-indigenous cockatoos, the other urging the State Government to take immediate action.
“We haven’t got the answer but we call on the state to act,” Ms McKay said.
Cr Dunn said people feeding cockatoos were creating a population imbalance.
“What we’ve committed to doing as a council is an education campaign about the perils and implications of backyard feeding,” she said.
She said the shire would investigate its options to introduce a by-law to outlaw feeding.
“But I’d rather get something happening in the short term straight away,” she said.
But while the shire was working to educate the community about the dangers of feeding cockatoos, Cr Dunn said sanctioned feeding was contradicting the message.
“We’re telling them not to feed them and then they drive past Grants Picnic Ground and see it happening,” she said.
“It’s outrageous that it’s allowed to happen, especially in a national park. We’ve reached a point now where we have to say no, it’s the wrong thing to do.”
Matt Hoogland, ranger in charge of the Dandenong Ranges National Park, said Parks Victoria entered into a 20-year lease with Grants Picnic Ground’s Sherbrooke Kiosk and Tearooms in 1999.
Under the terms of the lease, visitors can feed birds using approved seed mix supplied at the site.
“This has been supported based on the historical demand for such an experience and is not permitted in any other location across the Dandenong Ranges National Park,” Mr Hoogland said.
“The appeal of feeding the birdlife here is such that the site has become a very popular tourism destination within Australia, especially for international visitors.”
Mr Hoogland said Parks Victoria was finalising plans with DSE to assess bird feeding at Grants Picnic Ground ‘to ensure it is socially and environmentally sustainable and demonstrates best practice principles’.