Flap over Aussie golf club's plan to shoot ducks (Warringah GC seeks to cull native wood ducks)

SYDNEY (AFP) - Animal lovers in Australia have cried foul over a Sydney golf club's plan to cull native wood ducks living on its course, it was reported Tuesday.

The plan by Sydney's Warringah Golf Club to kill the ducks because they are ripping up its greens led to vandalism and threats against the course, local media reported.

The club opted to hire a marksman to shoot its duck population after other deterrents, such as cat-like objects and rubber snakes, failed to work.

But protesters dug up some of the greens in the dead of night over the weekend and left a threatening note after learning of the plan, The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper said.

"Warning: you bastards kill one bird and we will destroy all your greens at our leisure. We will be watching and waiting," the note said.

Club manager Brian Leggett said it had decided to cancel the cull due to the vandalism.

"I can understand people being concerned and upset but you don't then take things into your own hands. This moves it to the crackpot element," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service said it had issued the duck shooting licence because it believed the club had tried everything else it could to prevent the water fowl damaging the course.

"We hate this kind of stuff but they are suffering thousands of dollars worth of damage every year. Normally, if they get rid of a few, the other ducks get the message," spokesman John Dengate told ABC radio.

"We are convinced the golf club has tried everything they can to get the ducks to go somewhere else," he said.

http://www.fourthcrossingwildlife.com/australian_wood_duck.htm

The Australian Wood Duck is a “perching” duck and is more suited to walking than it is to swimming. It is more often seen grazing, like a goose, than swimming. The duck can be found throughout much of mainland Australia and Tasmania.

It is absent from the top end of Queensland and the Northern Territory and in the dry interior of Western Australia and South Australia. Habitat for the Wood Duck includes grassland, pastures, open woodlands, town parks and generally anywhere where there is water.

It is a sedentary bird and often congregates in large groups for short periods before dispersing into permanent pairs - Australian Wood Ducks mate for life.

Breeding season in southern Australia is around September to November; and January to March in the north. Those in semi-arid regions can breed any time of the year, after good rain. The nest is made high in a tree hollows and is lined with down, usually quite thick to hide the eggs.

Between 8 and 14 eggs can be laid and are incubated by both parents for around 28 days. Male often stands guard when the female is incubating. Soon after the downy young jump from the nest and follow their parents to the safety of water. Young fledge in around 50 days.

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