‘Birds left to die on the ground? It’s disgusting’: Aldinga residents hit out at corella cull but business owners say it’s necessary
RESIDENTS have reacted angrily to a cull of corellas in Adelaide’s south, describing the way it’s been carried out as “disgusting”. But those who organised it say it’s necessary.
ALDINGA residents are in a flap over a “disgusting” corella cull in their suburb.
The shooting of birds on private land has sparked an angry response on social media.
Residents witnessing the cull posted photos and video of the shooter and the injured birds to Facebook.
They say a shooter started to kill off the birds on the evening of Wednesday, February 1, in the trees on private land opposite the Aldinga Hotel.
However, Miss Gladys By The Sea director Joff Chappel said he was one of several traders behind the cull.
“Apparently the birds talk so it doesn’t have to be a very big cull for them to move on,” Mr Chappel said.
He would not reveal who the others traders were.
An Onkaparinga Council spokesman said the council had not been involved “in bird control activities” since 2012. The Southern Times Messenger understands the shooter had a permit and was allowed to cull until 9pm.
Aldinga resident Donna Morrison said injured birds were left lying on the ground with gunshot wounds.
“I think it was disgusting,” Ms Morrison said.
“The shooter is meant to only shoot if he has a clear shot and can kill instantly which clearly trying to shoot at night with a torch doesn’t allow for a quick clean kill.”
Another resident, who did not want to be named, said the dead birds were collected and put into a sack.
“Some of the birds would fall down to the ground and flap around and they wouldn’t put them in the sack until they were dead,” the resident said.
Cr Don Chapman said the cull was “inappropriate”.
“The village of Old Aldinga, all the shopkeepers and all of the residents, should have been notified and they were not,” Cr Chapman said.
“It should have come with a warning and probably some signage because we had a whole lot of injured birds bleeding.”
Onkaparinga Mayor Lorraine Rosenberg said the council stopped culls because “shooting them was a very unpopular exercise”.
“It was a no win for us,” Ms Rosenberg said.
An SA Police spokesperson said culls “happen all the time” and would not comment further.
Aldinga Hotel did not respond to requests for comment.