Aussie Finch Forum

Where would we draw the line with what comes in ? I can understand we need some new blood but how many new species would be viable long term and at what cost to some of the species we still know very little about ?

GregH wrote:HeraldSun[/url] claims the Agriculture minister says that the "centre is expected to process thousands of cats and dogs and hundreds of birds and horses".

Don't forget that rats with wings, i mean pigeons, are birds, & I think you'll find thats what they had in mind when they said birds.

I don't believe we will see legal importation of finches at all.
If the huge obstacle of a negative attitude of the relevant bureacracies to importing is not enough to overcome, lets look at the supply side of the equation.
I have canvassed some cold country breeders of captive bred closed rung finches (a clear requirement if our authorities were to allow it) in the hypothetical advent of the government ever giving the nod. I can guarantee that European breeders are already feeling the pinch of lack of critical mass of captive-bred breeding stock of many likely target species (our rarer waxbills & parrotfinches in particular). One example is the Black-rumped Waxbill (a rare species here which has been imported into Europe in huge numbers for years) for which I've made preliminary enquiries to a couple of prominent breeders in Europe. I asked a few years ago as to their then current market price & likely supply prospects for genuine captive-bred closed rung stock. I was told by both breeders that most breeders were already very reluctant to sell such birds to other breeders outside their own circle of friends/breeders with whom they regularly exchange birds & even within these groups the few who produce them are becoming more reluctant to let any go at all. They both said that if they were asked to sell for export they would not sell any captive-bred birds as they are becoming increasingly scarce & would not want to see such stock exported out of their domestic gene pools. The exact same reason why we have reservations with export of our exotic species. Once gone can never be replaced. Their imports from Africa had virtually dried up in recent years & this has seen the total loss of quite a few species from captivity there in a remarkably short period. Imports had been regular and in good numbers so very few breeders developed captive-bred lines of many species as wild-caught imports were cheaply & frequently available, then all of a sudden the supply tap was turned off initially by the bird flu scare followed by airlines stopping carrying them due to environmental activist pressure.

What puzzles me about the very zealous ban on bird imports in particular is that hundreds of thousands import themselves every year, and have done so since time immemorial. Birds that have been hanging out with their Amercian, Canadian, Russian, Kiwi, North and East Asian buddies just up and leave to head on down to Australia under their own steam. No visas. No quarantine. Back and forth across the planet as they please.

So how bad can the controlled importation of a few ornamental birds really be?

This quaratine station sounds very promising. At least that facility will be sitting there, all shiny and new, making policy change negotiations a bit easier.

Don't bet on it. All the commonsense reasoning in the world won't sway this mob. Its all been said before & met with stoney silence & continued rejection.
Apart from the migration issue, you also have the fact that unfettered imports of wild-caught exotic birds into Australia took place from all corners of the globe for over a century without the diseases we are currently free from entering the country & causing any issues. Many of these instances were under the most appalling of conditions.

You can't use reason and logic to talk someone out of a position that they didn't use reason and logic to get themselves into.

Re migrating birds ..
One would think they are more a risk to our native birds than a bird imported and quarantined however there is argument that a bird that is fit enough to survive some of these epic migrations surely must be healthy and disease free .

Dont ask me

[This quaratine station sounds very promising. At least that facility will be sitting there, all shiny and new, making policy change negotiations a bit easier.[/quote]

The Spotswood facility was there previously. It made no difference. They still rejected our pleas.

Tiaris's explanations are spot on.

It will take a major turnaround in departmental thinking for them to change their attitude ( read "political Pressure", for which we do not have the critical mass ie enough votes).

Then there is Tiaris's excellent point- accessing aviary-bred stock from approved countries.

Then there is the cost...
And if all animal imports are going through the one facility, what priority do you think cage birds will get?

It is very hypocritical of the authorities. They are actually promoting the smuggling that they're supposedly trying to prevent.

Tintola- your comments are so true!!

Tintola wrote:You can't use reason and logic to talk someone out of a position that they didn't use reason and logic to get themselves into.

I love this simple wisdom, but I forget it constantly. It just seems so reasonable and logical that someone should be persuaded by something reasonable and logical .

Take it from me as a career public servant

Unless there is a money spinner in it for the government then forget it.

If they impose a massive tax on the importations you watch how quickly they will then flow in.

Once they realise how much people are willing to pay and import they will soon forget about the so called environmental impact.