"It's not a cull!" Exasperated yelling in my dreams is not something I'd normally share; it reveals too much. But I've been forced to repeat those five little words so many times this past week, the phrase has obviously embedded itself in my subconcious.
Natural England has shifted ring-necked parakeets on to the general licence, along with Canada geese, Egyptian geese and monk parakeets. They join crows and magpies on the list of species that landowners can kill or trap without seeking permission.. the catch is that these birds can still only be shot or trapped if there is a good public health and safety or conservation reason for doing so. Previously, you'd have to give your reasons up front, but at least you knew you were acting within the law. Now, you'll have to make your excuses after acting, and if you haven't got good enough grounds... you become a jailbird.
Ring-necked parakets have lived in the UK since the 1800's. Someone returning from Africa or Asia, possibly a trader, probably brought them to the UK to sell as exotic curiosities. Some escaped and some were released and over the years, their numbers slowly increased. The urban myths say some escaped from the set of the Humphrey Bogart film, The African Queen. Jimi Hendrix added a couple on Carnaby Street in the sixties in a gesture of free love. The fact is, they've been here a long, long time.
They're loud, bright green with a rose coloured bill and like to hang out around people in very large numbers. You can't miss them. That's part of the problem. Like Matt Lucas's character Daffyd in the Little Britain TV series "the only queer in the village", they are flambuoyant and stir-up reactions. Some people hate them on sight, others admire and revel in their difference. Shifting ring-necked parakeets from one list to another is muddying the water. Nothing has significantly changed, they are still a legally protected species.
Government money, our tax-payers cash, is being spent on a couple of studies, to find out more about parakeet's. Previous studies found they were not causing a problem. Parakeet numbers have increased since then, so these new studies are welcome. Deciding whether, or how, to control an expanding, well established and geographically widespread species needs good intelligence, clearly thought-through strategies & plans, supported by good communication. I look forward to that and the return of peaceful dreams.