Britain goes insane against parakeets
Oh dear. Now some are turning against ring-necked parakeets, while others still are arguing racism and/or eco-xenophobia against these colorful birds! From the UK Telegraph (Hat tip: Moonbattery):
This week Natural England officially deemed the ring-necked parakeet as a pest, making it possible to shoot the birds without a licence.What's this? Eco-xenophobia? Well there's a new one for you from that isle of madness. But really, I don't think these parakeets are a problem at all. The Brits must be just annoyed at the all the caw-caws they make, so they've gone batty! Of course, this is all they can concern themselves with, and not say, the human rights of Israelis, Christians, and such.
However Dr Ian Rotherham, Director of the Environmental Change Research Unit at Sheffield Hallam University, said there is a danger that labelling parakeets as a "nasty alien" just because they are from abroad could be seen as a form of "racism" towards a foreign species.
"If there is a problem - for example with the birds taking fruit - then we have to take steps to deal with it. If you start to label it as alien then that is some sort of racism. Eco-xenophobia is the label I would use.
"I suspect there is an underlying view it is because they are alien, but it should be because they are a problem."
Matthew Frith, Deputy Chief Executive of the London Wildlife Trust, said parakeets were "as British as curry" and agreed it was dangerous to label the birds as a pest just because they are foreign.
Labels: londonistan, Moonbattery
