期刊名称：Afring News: The Journal of the South African Bird Ringing Unit (Formerly: Safring News)
印刷版ISSN：0379-878X
电子版ISSN：0379-878X
出版年度：2004
卷号：33
期号：2
出版社：South African Bird Ringing Unit
摘要：There was a recent flurry of e-mail
correspondence following the request by a
certain Mr. Stavrou for assistance with
catching Redbilled Queleas (RBQ) as a
food source. It is understood there had
been qualified approval of such a project
by the conservation authorities, and
Stavrou intended to catch, kill and pickle
these birds to supply to the European market
as an epicurean delight. (Or perhaps
lucullic rather than epicurean. Lucullus was
the Greek king who served nightingale
tongues to his guests!) I am delighted to
confirm that none of the respondents supported
the idea of assisting Stavrou. Anyone
who has had to extricate tens of RBQs
from mist nets in the hot sun will know that
Stavrou does not understand the logistics
of the problem. Even if it were morally acceptable
to help Stavrou it does not seem
that it would be possible to recover the cost
of catching the birds. Despite the fact that
RBQs are an agricultural pest of great significance,
with millions of protein-deprived
South African citizens who should be the
first candidates for consideration of utilising
such a food source it would be difficult
to justify exporting any birds caught for this
purpose.
