Wildlife management in the extreme: managing Magpies and mothers in a suburban environment

Abstract

Attacks by Australian Magpies Gymnorhina tibicen on humans are among the most common forms of human-wildlife conflict in Australia, especially in suburban environments. Despite the familiarity of these interactions, remarkably little is known about the phenomenon, significantly undermining attempts to develop a sound basis for management. To redress this, a series of studies spanning most of a decade were carried out in Brisbane, designed to explore all dimensions of the conflict. This paper describes several relevant aspects of the phenomenon including temporal patterns of reproduction and attacks, and summarises key findings of investigations into community attitudes towards managing what is a favourite Australian species. In particular, it was established that lethal control was opposed by a clear majority of survey respondents while translocation as an option for management was supported. As a result, comprehensive studies into this approach were carried out, establishing that the technique reduced specific conflicts. However, we were unable to account for the fate of most released birds.