Currently Myna birds around the world are taking over other bird populations and wiping them out. I see them attacking the Common Starling "clouds". I see them attacking pigeon nests I see them ganging up on any other bird passing by. I read about them riding international transportation, perhaps even planes, reaching almost everywhere.
They are smart. But we still have an edge over them with our language and planning and tools and technology. So here's the idea: Train them to behave nicely. Just like dogs can be trained not to bite, so birds can be trained not to attack. And birds can be trained to teach and train other birds.
Turn the system around. Get the Mynas to want to live in special sanctuaries, where the population is somewhat controlled. And get them to do something together that benefits the world, and doesn't just show us a mirror of how horrible we've become.-- pashute, Jun 11 2022 They had no choice but to attack the pigeons; the pigeons were thinking about joining NATO.
And in general, the mynas are encircled by other bird populations, that are not mynas, which is clearly intolerable.
[+]-- pertinax, Jun 12 2022 Just tell the emus the mynas are after their land.-- Voice, Jun 12 2022 Meh, they'll be out bred by starlings, outsmarted by crows and out eaten by the falcons.-- bs0u0155, Jun 12 2022 'Ello!-- pocmloc, Jun 12 2022 [bs0u0155], mynas ARE starlings.[Pashute] we cant even convince people who claim to want their own land to be happy on reservations, I'm not seeing this succeeding unless we move them to islands and clip their wings. Even then, as Dr Ian Malcolm says... life, uh, finds a way.-- 21 Quest, Jun 12 2022 still laughing every time i read [poc]'s response.-- pashute, Jun 14 2022 //[bs0u0155], mynas ARE starlings.//
Huh, there's another autodidactic rabbit hole I've been down. I only knew them as the budget parrot type pet from my grandparents childhood tales.
Ultimately I'm not into this whole "invasive species" lark that gets people wound up. Species will get into new environments, either now, or next time a continent bumps into another. Yes, it can be alarming to see a population boom in a species which finds itself in a new environment. But that's not the species' fault, it's a fitter species for that niche. Ultimately there will be a correction, a predator will adapt, a disease will spread, the environment will change, or all of them.
My general cynicism was somewhat confirmed when as a student, my friend got a summer job planting bracken for the woodlands trust, it's a great habitat for the insects that certain birds and bats love. The previous summer, I had a different friend who worked for the forestry commision (I think) removing bracken from the same area as an invasive plant. It's a shame it wasn't at the same time, they could have met up, agreed to leave it all alone and gone straight to the pub. I think trying to control a small, versatile & fecund creature that can also bloody fly, might be a fool's errand, even compared to bracken.
I'm generally up for the idea of ADDING species, especially big things that spread poorly. I think the US has habitat for rhinos, elephants etc. We desperately need a deer predator, hunters would have to be as tough as they think they are if there were a good sized tiger population.-- bs0u0155, Jun 15 2022 //invasive species... trying to control a small, versatile & fecund creature that can also bloody fly// We are talking about Humans here right?-- pocmloc, Jun 15 2022 //Species will get into new environments//
Yebbut, the rate at which it happens makes a big difference. When it happens slowly (as it normally does), it leaves room for a greater variety of different ecosystems. If it speeds up by orders of magnitude, then, I fear, it tends towards the same blowflies, rats and stinging nettles *everywhere*, and not so much of anything else.-- pertinax, Jun 15 2022 //We are talking about Humans here right?//
Nope, we fail on fecundity, and size, we're an apex predator that's learned fancy agriculture tricks.-- bs0u0155, Jun 16 2022 random, halfbakery