WHO OWNS WILD BIRDS?

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 October 1939, Page 6

WHO OWNS WILD BIRDS?

RIGHTS OF GENERAL PUBLIC. STATE ACTS AS TRUSTEES. A Wellington naturalist has raised the question, “Who owns the wild birds'?" states the Forest and Bird Protection Society. It is understood that when the Government puts some species of native birds on the protected list, it assumes properly a position of ownership on behalf of the people of New Zealand (including posterity, whose prospective rights are so frequently ignored in all manner of matters •. When an acclimatisation society enjoys a statutory right to issue licences for the killing of birds, the society is not actually the owner of them. Similarly, a landowner does not have an exclusive right to the possession of wild game birds which may visit his property. They are free to fly away to a neighbour’s place. Thus it seems that wild birds belong to the people as a whole. The State authorities, acting as trustees for the general public, may directly or indirectly grant permission for the slaughter of game birds, under certain conditions, or may even allow collectors to take limited numbers of protected birds. What are the rights of the groat majority of New Zealanders who find heartfelt pleasure in seeing wild native ducks in their natural haunts and hate the killing of them? These people, not organised for the safeguarding of the beautiful birds, are now faced with the sad fact that some species seem io be doomed to extinction, because this country lacks the urgently necessary strong policy for intelligent, management of wild life. In this field, Canada and the United States of America are a long way in the lead of New Zealand. In those countries, intelligent conservationists, including the higher types of sportsmen. as distinct from callous, careless, pot-hunters, are busy with schemes for assuring an increase of game birds, while retaining a reasonable measure of shooting. They are planning for a "game crop"—a saving of enough “live capital." so that the bird wealth will be well maintained. That is why water is being restored to some areas which had foolishly been drained. This draining practice had not only deprived wiki fowl of a necessary means of living, but had proved injurious to adjacent farm lands by lowering the water level and parching the fertile top soil.