Katter’s Australia Party MP, Shane Knuth, has called for Queesnlanders to be able to shoot Indian mynas and cane toads with air rifles in their backyards, according to a report in the Brisbane Times.
“Will the minister consider implementing changes to current gun laws that could give Queenslanders the right to use an air rifle in their back yards in the war against cane toads and myna birds,” he is said to have asked Police Minister Jo-Ann Miller in a question on notice.
Ms Miller, however, said there was little hope.
“The Queensland Government is not currently considering any change to current firearms laws,” she said.
Brisbane City Council has a control program in place for the common myna bird ‚Äì known as Acridotheres tristis¬† ‚Äì which was declared one of the world’s most invasive species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature in 2000.
The Indian natives are known for their aggression towards native species, particularly parrots or gliders, which use hollows as nests, with mynas known to throw their chicks out of the nest, as well as causing significant damage to fruit crops.
Humans have helped the noisy bird thrive, with the myna found wherever humans settle, with a preference for the nooks and crannies provided by buildings and bridges as nests.
While the Brisbane City Council works out its management strategy with other councils, it continues to recommend not to feed them. 
The same goes to cane toads, the pest introduced in 1935, which proved ineffectual at controlling cane beetles, but excellent at adapting to its new environment and taking over almost unchallenged.
The RSPCA recommends the use of the spray HopStop, stunning the animals followed by decapitation or exposure to carbon dioxide. The RSPCA no longer recommmends freezing toads, with questions over whether the animal suffers or not. 
Queenslanders wishing to purchase an air rifle must hold a¬†valid weapon’s licence.¬†
 
0 Comments