Shoalhaven council greenlights Ulladulla Myna bird eradication pilot program

At the Strategy and Assets Committee meeting on Tuesday, July 20, Shoalhaven councillors unanimously voted in favour of extending the eradication program across the city if the pilot is successful.

Staff will now engage with local businesses and provide educational support to assist them in eradicating the species in their buildings and rooftops.

Council will also conduct education programs to teach local residents about the harm the species causes on the ecosystem and best practice eradication methods.

Read more: Get trapping, Indian Mynas on the rise in Shoalhaven

Councillor Patricia White brought the motion to council and said she was notified of the infestation by local residents.

"There are over 200 Myna birds nesting in a tree down there .. this particular problem is causing the residents to be awake all night because of the noises they are making," she said.

"So I'd like council to investigate options that we can establish to get rid of these birds who are roosting because once we get into the summer breeding season, it's only going to become a worse problem.

"I understand that this is not the council's responsibility to get rid of Myna birds, but it is when it's on our property, because obviously there is something down there that is attracting them onto the South Street carpark."

The motion was seconded by Councillor John Levett who said the Myna bird is one of the most invasive species in the world and that Canberra had the gold standard for dealing with them.

Read more: Shoalhaven to continue looking for Yerriyong Motor Sports alternative

He said the community-driven Canberra Indian Myna Action Group, in partnership with the ACT government, helped to reduce Myna populations from the third most common bird species to the seventeenth, partly because of their Myna monitoring process.

"The strategy is basically built around public awareness about the environmental and health threat of these birds," said Cr Levett.

"And then public education aimed at limiting the spread of the Myna birds by reducing feeding and breeding opportunities."

He also said Canberra's Myna euthanasia program had always been a sensitive part of their process but it was done now in conjunction with the RSPCA who monitor the methods of euthanasia.

It is estimated that over 100,000 Myna birds were eliminated in Canberra since 2006.