Farmers warned: Don't shoot killer parrots

Trust me, sheep are intelligent. It's the way they run with a flock that makes them look stupid. Give one a problem involving obtaining food and watch how crafty that sucker becomes.

On topic-- I think the right kind of terrier dog could solve the bird problem. I bet something like a little Jack Russell would make those kea think twice, as long as it didn't munch on the sheep, of course. If the birds are that smart, it wouldn't take long for the rest to figure out that dog = stay away or be killed.

Its kinda like watching Wall Street and the Gov on our backs. Just one little peck at a time destroying our nice little sheeple world. You really have to marvel at nature it will find a way to survive, i do think it is kinda weird that a bird eats a live animals flesh but the Japanese pay big bucks for things to eat that are not dead. Maybe those parrots learned this from us. And really just watch it, it is not that bad.

reply to post by BASSPLYR


I wouldn't bother with washing off powdermarks and stuff..

Let them come, let them take me to court.. then there'd maybe be a political backwash that would let the legislation be changed, neh ?

reply to post by Lookingup
If Jack Russells are as smart as everyone says (and the few I have been around have been amazing) they could be taught not to munch on the sheep. But what about the dogs most sheepherders use. Most of them are taught to protect sheep from predators. Could they not be trained to keep the birds away from the sheep.
Just curious. We don't have sheep in my neck of the woods, so what little I know, I've learned through reading, and watching educational tv.

In the u.k. we have a similar problem with ravens.
They stand on the sheeps back and peck at their nether regions and pull out the entrails.I never knew this until a few years ago,just happened to question why birds sit on animals backs and was given this information.
Silly me,i thought that they were grooming them.

reply to post by kettlebellysmith


I know next to nothing about sheep dogs and sheep either, but as I understand it, a sheep dog is raised with sheep and bonds with them. When the dog matures enough, he protects his flock, so I guess they would be effective.

A big Kuvasz would probably make a meal of a parrot.

Originally posted by tracey ace
In the u.k. we have a similar problem with ravens.
They stand on the sheeps back and peck at their nether regions and pull out the entrails.I never knew this until a few years ago,just happened to question why birds sit on animals backs and was given this information.
Silly me,i thought that they were grooming them.

Ravens don't do it to live animals though surely?
Some birds in Africa perch on giraffes and the like to eat parasites so I think the whole grooming thing does go on.

The Kea are pretty nasty little sheep thugs. I never knew about them so flag for adding to my ever expanding knowledge base.

I want some mutton.

reply to post by WatchRider


Afraid so,it sickened me.Heres something i found although it is dated may this year it has been happening for a while.

www.dailymail.co.uk...

To the poster who said they are NZ’s most wanted predator, that is a straight out lie. Possums, stoats, ferrets, dogs and cats are all seen as much greater predators than Keas, both in the damage they do to other wildlife and in their sheer numbers.

Mea Culpa

But I didn't 'lie', I just repeated what was in the article.

So, I stand corrected. Thanks for the interesting post!



[edit on 28/9/2008 by Badge01]

Kea...Kryll.

I just had flashbacks to Gears of War.


Interesting though, I'm actually concerned as to how they'll handle these animals.

Originally posted by Kryties
I must say it puts a whole new spin on the Monty Python sketch "Dead Parrot"

Yes, not the mention that most dangerous of animals, the clever sheep.

www.youtube.com...

Perhaps soon it will be the sheep eating the parrots?

Nice to see something not being blamed on Man for a change.
This time the culprit is Mother Nature herself.

I have personally witnessed these birds tear off all the rubber seals on some poor persons car in a ski-field car park (I'm pretty sure the guy tried to cut in front of me in the queue for the lift, so I left them to it.)

These birds are incredibly intelligent and very curious. It is a shame they are facing the wrath of angry farmers, as they are amazing creatures. I wish I could keep one as my personal pet. Although as someone previously suggested, I'm sure they would quickly learn to leave the sheep alone if there were dire consequences.
Interesting topic

Originally posted by Curious and Concerned
I have personally witnessed these birds tear off all the rubber seals on some poor persons car in a ski-field car park

(I'm pretty sure the guy tried to cut in front of me in the queue for the lift, so I left them to it.)

These birds are incredibly intelligent and very curious. It is a shame they are facing the wrath of angry farmers, as they are amazing creatures. I wish I could keep one as my personal pet. Although as someone previously suggested, I'm sure they would quickly learn to leave the sheep alone if there were dire consequences.
Interesting topic

Maybe a little bit off topic, but has everyone seen the video of a crow not only using, but making a tool to get its food? Truly amazing!

Anyway, birds are truly intellegent creatues. I wonder if these parrots could be trained to eat "bait" that was left out, instead of th sheep?

Pretty intense little creatures, can't believe they'd attack defenseless little sheep like that, kinda reminds me when I seen a bunch of vultures attacking a deer when we were out hunting, I thought they were scavengers but even they can attack things in groups if they're really hungry...

I saw a show once where a crow waited for the crosswalk to turn green before placing a nut in the crosswalk. As soon as it turned red it waited for a car to drive over the nut. Then he waited til it turned green again to go get the nut. Amazing. smarter than some of the people I know.

reply to post by Badge01


Well this is my lesson of the day!! I had no idea these parrots lived on this earth!! Hmm very interesting indeed!
However as humans, we can with ease out smart these birds.
The sheep thats a different story all together, they are just below pigs in IQ. And have problems solving simple problems and over comming sertin things. But thats where man steps in. Be it a gun or a type of toxin, Im sure the farmers will find a way to protect their livestock.

These guys have some really mean looking beaks on them! Tear threw the flesh and eat their food still alive! Brutal!!
IM not sure how many of these birds there are. But Im sure we will either find a harsh way to deal with them.. Or we can trap them, and relocate them to other places. Or prehaps find something else they might desire more than sheep.
Hell if they wanted to.. They could clone sheep to have built in armor plates on their backs! And this would solve this problem.. hehe Joke

No but really thanks for the lesson in wild life today..
Going to think about this one.. And get back with you here on a plan that wouldnt use death or guns.. There has to be a better way to deal with these birds.
But then again Im a big softy and I dont like killing bugs.. They are pests, and most would rather smite them, presay catch them and release them somewhere else..

Originally posted by Spock Shock
Pretty intense little creatures, can't believe they'd attack defenseless little sheep like that, kinda reminds me when I seen a bunch of vultures attacking a deer when we were out hunting, I thought they were scavengers but even they can attack things in groups if they're really hungry...

That's pretty typical behavior for black vultures (who have black heads and white only at the wingtips, as opposed to TV's with read heads and white all across the underside of the wings.) They will often "mercy kill" sick, injured, or incapacitated newborn animals.

reply to post by rosio


I hope I didn't break any rules. I'm kind of new here. I seem to have had my post deleted. Moderators, I'll try for a re-post :

Interesting topic.

First let me point out that having lived on a farm in NZ I have a good understanding of sheep and their behavior. Sheep, compared to other farm animals are ultimately stupid and defenseless. If anything their only defense lies in their thick wool and basic safety in numbers. Whereas cows will line up for milking at the same time, in the same order every day, sheep (at least on our paddocks) managed to jump over fences and subsequently cliffs to their deaths every season.

In usual winter conditions, once on their side sheep find it extremely difficult to get up and they can often die in a matter of hours (as blood pools to one side of their brain). No longer living on a farm I still train in the farm country every day. Almost weekly I’ll have to pick up a sheep stuck on its side, hold it for a minute so that it gains orientation and then go on my way. If I didn’t there would be another corpse decaying in the paddock.

At this time of the year I get a lot of lambs chasing me, thinking I’m their mother. I have to subsequently chase them away back to the mother in order for them not to become isolated, exposed and die. Sheep, known around here as “grass maggots” are susceptible to everything from disease to dogs to (aparently) keas. The only plus sides are that they have a relatively low impact/maintenance compared to other stock, needing only annual docking and dredging and can be rounded up by the farmer’s Border collies.

Going fishing at the coast and I’m always shocked at the sheer number of dead wild sheep that have fallen from cliffs or have been caught by the waves.

Keas on the other hand are amazing. They are highly social and intelligent- often you can feed them by hand (they love cheese). They have an amazing call and are extremely brazen and cheeky. We’ve had those little guys steal the rubber from a friend’s windshield, making the glass fall in, only for the *deleted* to steal a pair of sun glasses from inside.

To the poster who said they are NZ’s most wanted predator, that is a straight out lie. Possums, stoats, ferrets, dogs and cats are all seen as much greater predators than Keas, both in the damage they do to other wildlife and in their sheer numbers.

The only reason the Kea are resorting to this kind of behavior is that the native forest that was their home was wiped out for sheep farming. There are 54,000,000 sheep in NZ and only 2500 Keas, I’d say they have an uphill battle.

R.