Ruddy Duck culling

[Jersali]

Hello all,
I read a report today dated this week that DEFRA are carrying out systematic eradication of Ruddy Ducks.
The same blog reports a poulation of 400 Ruddy ducks were eradicated in Switzerland a few days ago.
Is this connected to bird flu or some other avian virus/disease?

[Jason Green]

It's in case they head-over to Spain and mingle with the ladies of the threatened white-headed duck. Or something.

[Shrike]

Its been going on in the uk for a few years now , an attempt to encourage the white-headed duck back over here and possibly to decrease the chances of the extinction of the white-headed duck.

[david156]

your opening a can of worms with this one!

This has been discussed on here many times with both for and against arguments. I thought originally the cull was suppose to finish early this year but got extended for another year. It has been on going for a few years. A lot of people are now no longer reported Ruddy Duck sightings to public forum and bird information services. If you dig about the British Bird forum on here you should find previous discussions about this subject.

Cheers David

[Synn]

I personally wouldn't report any Ruddy sightings, and if you look at pictures of Ruddy ducks uploaded Bird Guides they usually say 'Undisclosed site'

The reasoning for a cull is almost like saying: Scottish Wildcats are in trouble from hybridisation, lets cull domestic cats :|

[Jackaroo]

Originally Posted by Synn

lets cull domestic cats :|

Hmmmm.

No, perhaps not.

[Jonathan]

Personally, I can see both sides of the RD argument but, as it seems that the conservation organisations are determined to see it through, wouldn't it simply be better to let them get on with it? Would anyone unwilling to reveal ruddy duck sites feel victorious in twenty years time if ruddies were back up to pre-cull numbers and the cull were to start all over again? Ruddies are rare birds these days in the UK, I can probably count on the fingers of one hand the number I've seen this year, would it not be better for these few birds to be removed in as short a time scale as possible rather than have our reserves, etc. disturbed for any longer than is necessary?

Cheers
Jonathan

[Deb London]

Originally Posted by david156

your opening a can of worms with this one!

This has been discussed on here many times with both for and against arguments. I thought originally the cull was suppose to finish early this year but got extended for another year. It has been on going for a few years. A lot of people are now no longer reported Ruddy Duck sightings to public forum and bird information services. If you dig about the British Bird forum on here you should find previous discussions about this subject.

Cheers David

Originally Posted by Synn

I personally wouldn't report any Ruddy sightings, and if you look at pictures of Ruddy ducks uploaded Bird Guides they usually say 'Undisclosed site'

The reasoning for a cull is almost like saying: Scottish Wildcats are in trouble from hybridisation, lets cull domestic cats :|

Interesting. I realise I've seen them but they haven't been reported and I can see why now. I just never put two and two together.

[PMG]

Originally Posted by Jonathan

Personally, I can see both sides of the RD argument but, as it seems that the conservation organisations are determined to see it through, wouldn't it simply be better to let them get on with it? Would anyone unwilling to reveal ruddy duck sites feel victorious in twenty years time if ruddies were back up to pre-cull numbers and the cull were to start all over again? Ruddies are rare birds these days in the UK, I can probably count on the fingers of one hand the number I've seen this year, would it not be better for these few birds to be removed in as short a time scale as possible rather than have our reserves, etc. disturbed for any longer than is necessary?

Cheers
Jonathan

As far as I understand it the last I heard the white headed duck is no longer in decline - its numbers have recovered making the continuation of this particular cull uneccessary.

The argument for culling - killing - exterminating a species just because it can hybridise with another seems wrong to me - surely this is what evolution is about?

Pauline

[King Edward]

Originally Posted by PMG

As far as I understand it the last I heard the white headed duck is no longer in decline - its numbers have recovered making the continuation of this particular cull uneccessary.

The hybridisation threat to the White-headed Duck doesn't go away just because numbers might be currently increasing. If the culling programme is abandoned, Ruddy Duck numbers will rapidly increase again and the problem will return. It's surely better to eradicate Ruddy Ducks from Europe now, with the death of a small number of individuals (while there aren't very many), than to have an indefinite control programme with ultimately a much larger number of birds killed.

Originally Posted by PMG

The argument for culling - killing - exterminating a species just because it can hybridise with another seems wrong to me - surely this is what evolution is about?

It's only 'evolution' in so far as Ruddy Ducks were originally introduced to Europe (via Slimbridge). It's no more a 'natural' event than the way introduced rats, mice, pigs etc. have eaten their way through countless numbers of island birds and other species.