<
https://theconversation.com/can-a-bird-be-an-illegal-immigrant-how-the-white-australia-era-influenced-attitudes-to-the-bulbul-273347>
"In early January, authorities from South Australia’s Department of Primary
Industries took to the streets of Adelaide on the hunt for a suspicious
individual.
This individual had been spotted several times in the preceding weeks: they had
red cheeks, brown wings and a black crest. It was a red-whiskered bulbul — a
non-native bird, often seen around Sydney and Wollongong but not normally
present in SA. Most Australians have likely never heard of a red-whiskered
bulbul, much less seen one. But these birds have been living here since the
First World War.
A spokesperson for the state explained why one little bird was causing such a
fuss:
the red-whiskered bulbul is a high-risk pest bird that can damage SA’s
vineyards and orchards by eating soft fruit, flower buds and insects,
potentially reducing yields or causing crop failure
Is this bulbul really a harbinger of catastrophe for SA’s fruitgrowers? As a
historian who researches introduced species in Australia, I suspect there is
more at stake here than a few grapes and cherries.
Australia is a country forged through suspicion and fear of outsiders – a theme
still prevalent in politics today. The bulbul first arrived here in the heyday
of the White Australia Policy, and at the time, its Asian origin influenced the
way Australians reacted to it. Could this history still influence attitudes
towards it today?"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
