NEWS DESK
Deadly diet for birds CELIA Furt has been “horrified” by the cast-offs being thrown to seagulls at Hastings. While on one of her regular trips “to say hi to the pelicans” near the boat ramp, Ms Furt’s attention was drawn to a group of seagulls feeding in the grass. She discovered they were eating loaves of mouldy bread. “People still think that feeding seagulls, pigeons and other birds, is good for them. They think that they are feeding them but, instead, they are killing them,” Ms Furt said. “If they want to feed birds, they must only feed them what's right for them, what they can digest and it’s not human food waste.
“Human bread is poison to any bird, as they cannot digest it, it stays in their throats and crops and they die horribly.” Ms Furt filled two rubbish bags with the 10 mouldy loaves. A photographer, Ms Furt took pictures of the seagulls and crows “fighting for a hamburger cover” outside the towns McDonalds outlet. Again, she felt compelled to pick up the rubbish that was not suitable food for birds. Ms Furt hopes her pictures and story will make people realise “that feeding the birds with human food is bad for them … we need to be a lot more careful about what we do with rubbish”. Keith Platt
A RESERVE in Frankston. Picture: Supplied
Glyphosate to be reintroduced FRANKSTON Council officers will begin using glyphosate-based products for weed control again. Council approved an internal ban on glyphosate-based products like Roundup in 2019. The weed killer was phased out by council officers throughout 2020 (“Weed killer ban on the chopping block”, The Times, 8/2/21). The internal ban was overturned at council’s 15 February meeting. Council’s parks and vegetation coordinator Alan Wallis said the reintroduction of glyphosate will be “at a
The mayor Kris Bolam said “a significantly lower volume than prior range of alternative weed manageto the ban.” ment has been investigated through “Council will continue to review internal trials and in partnership and refine weed management pracwith Deakin University resulting in a tices. We’re prioritising protection of number of positive ongoing improvebiodiversity and native flora by enments, reducing risk to health and ensuring weed control methods are efvironment as a result of the glyphofective with minimal environmental sate ban.” impact,” he said. He said that it was forecast that “The current guidance from Ausweed management would cost an tralian regulatory authorities is that additional $600,000 because of the products containing glyphosate can glyphosate ban. continue to be used safely in accordance with directions in the safety data THE ‘LARGEST’ SHOE STORE Brodie Cowburn sheet and labels.”
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