This is a 10 cm high pile of streamers mixed with fishing line & a balloon collected by 2 people over 30 minutes at Tempe Reserve this afternoon.
Sometime this weekend someone must have been celebrating something & brought others to share their happiness. Unfortunately they left a potentially dangerous mess behind. It took 2 people 30-minutes to collect string, streamers & fishing line from around one kiosk & I am not sure we got it all.
The outcome of bringing things like string, nylon, fishing line, balloons & streamers to a park & leaving them there is far too often, gross pain & suffering for birds – often for many months. Death may in fact be easier for them. Heaven knows what happens to those that live in the river when this litter makes its way to the water. All it takes for that to happen is a stiff wind or some rain.
I am sick of being witness to this suffering of our supposedly protected wildlife, especially as it is totally preventable. All that is needed is for Marrickville Council to step in & send a Ranger down on weekends & public holidays to educate people & fine them if necessary. A few educational signs with an image of a bird injured by fishing line would not go astray either. Neither would an LGA-wide educational campaign using Council’s resources (like rate notices, libraries, Marrickville Matters etc) to tackle littering.
I do not understand why Marrickville Council cannot have staff trained to help wildlife or at the very least, call in a consultant who can. All the birds have to help them is volunteers from the community wildlife organizations & they are stretched to the limit with a workload that covers the whole of Sydney – or people like us, doing their best. It’s not good enough. If Council won’t do anything to catch the birds to get help for them, then they should be doing all they can to prevent this kind of thing happening to the wildlife as a priority.
Do you remember me posting a photo about a poor wounded Ibis in Tempe Reserve? The photo I posted is below. The first time we saw him fishing line shackled both his legs. Then somehow he managed to break one leg free. He hasn’t been around much & we thought he had died. Today he returned missing 3 toes & still with fishing line as tight as it can be around his ankle. If he is not caught, he will either die or lose his whole foot – or what’s left of it. He shakes with the pain. Not being trained, we have not been able to successfully catch him.
This is the same Ibis as the close-up of the fishing line injury & amputated toes above, though this photo was taken January 2012.
6 comments
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May 13, 2012 at 9:11 pm
ash
This is terrible & very disheartening.
I do think Marrickville Council need to step in. Rangers and appropriate signs would turn this situation around.
How do these matters get to the attention of council? You are right Jacqueline, that there are so many members of the community that do so much but it is not enough to fix this. And these amazing volunteers don’t have the authority of Marrickville Council.
Why, when MC have so many things like the Watershed & other sorts of environmental services – biodiversity staff (I assume) – well why don’t they take a few more steps to fix this problem that occurs here and along other parts of the Cooks River…. I don’t know the answers.
Surely MC are aware of this? Why do they turn up at the Reserve to clear rubbish bags after the Clean Up day, & why do they fix the bbq’s, but then not help change THIS situation…
There are many issues here. Protection of wild life – animals and plants; health of the river; education about the environment; signage; no consequences for the destructive littering & other destructive acts such as the cars being driven onto the reserve; no instilling of pride, care and respect…
And I do wonder what the difference is between a ‘park’ and ‘reserve’. If this is a ‘reserve’ as it is named, does this imply that it encompasses care of this environment and it’s animal & plant life? If so, it does not apply here.
May 14, 2012 at 1:55 pm
polythenepam
awful isnt it – thanks for posting about this x
May 14, 2012 at 2:25 pm
polythenepam
here are some reports into killer plastic http://plasticisrubbish.wordpress.com/2010/03/03/4218/
May 14, 2012 at 3:49 pm
whimsicat
our parks needs to be patrolled regularly, especially on weekends, to fine those inconsiderate idiots who leave their litter everywhere. it’s tough, because it is a drain on council’s limited resources to have weekend rangers on duty i suppose, but what is the alternative? the problem is not solving itself, that section of society that feels it can crap over everything and everyone and someone else will clean up the mess, is not going away or doing self-improvement courses to make them in to better human beings … so council needs to crack the whip! OR appoint “civilian rangers” and issue some of us with sherriff badges and a fine book so we can do the patrolling and fining and lining ‘em up against a wall and shooting them with water pistols filled with filthy sewerage water from the polluted rivers that they helped to create with their filthy littery ways …… ha ha getting carried away with my fantasy, but still … i kinda like the volunteer litter-sherriff idea a lot!!!!
May 14, 2012 at 8:26 pm
Kristina
Thanks “polythenepam” for the link above. Plastic pollution is horrendous. It all seems to be bursting out of every nook & cranny on our planet. And we CAN do something about this. To boycott use of plastic – yes.
The littering and subsequent harm to animals & plants in Tempe Reserve is getting well beyond a joke. I agree that there needs to be rangers & signs at Tempe Reserve. I have seen Marrickville Council employees working on weekends. So why not get in a ranger here? Informative signs followed by on the spot fines would surely change this thoughtless behaviour and alter the culture of the park for the better. (By culture I mean appreciation & respect for the nature force – animals, plants, water, land). What is going on here at Tempe Reserve could be totally turned around for the better.
I assume if there are no consequences for these party groups & fishermen that leave rubbish, fishing line, etc, then nothing much will change. Come on Marrickville Council PLEASE help the residents and volunteers that do care. Everyone would benefit.
It is interesting to note that South Australia is a much cleaner state & they have the cash for containers well established.
May 28, 2012 at 10:14 pm
brenda
It is very distressing to read this blog and look at the photos.
In my view, we need some type of ongoing community education program for thoughtless and/or ignorant people who inflict so much damage and suffering on wildlife.
The problem highlighted in this article is not specific to this LGA. It is a widespread problem and sadly there are many birds and other wildlife seriously wounded and left suffering because of rubbish/litter left behind after picnics, BBQs or birthday parties, etc.
Remember the success of “Slip Slop Slap” to get people to protect their skin from sun damage.
I would like to see the state government or federal government take some responsibilty and work in partnership with LGAs and the community to bring about a change of culture and behaviour so people would be more aware.