Australia - Telegraph lines.
Respect for the Cockatoos.

 


Sulphur crested Cockatoo.
Yellow tailed black cockatoo.

A cockatoo is any of the 21 parrot species belonging to the family Cacatuidae. In Australia there are a number of these species.

 

 

New South Wales

The (Sydney) Sun 19 December 1938.

"A pole-sitting record was attempted at the week-end by Bill - a white cockatoo belonging to Mrs. W. J. Stelzer of Clifford Avenue, Manly.

On Friday night, Bill escaped from his cage and took up his perch on a telegraph pole in Lauderdale Avenue, Manly. Yesterday morning he was still perched there, screaming defiance at passers-by.

Council men and members of the Fire Brigade endeavored to persuade him to come down without success. On Sunday afternoon he flew off into a tree.

When the bird was recaptured, it was found that the chain round his leg hnd been burnt through by coming into contact with a power wire. But Bill was not interested in his narrow escape from electrocution. He had a meal and went to sleep".

 

Victoria.

The Geelong Advertiser of 16 January 1872 related the following incident first reported in The Ballarat Star:

"On Saturday evening at about seven o'clock, just as the news by the Californian mail was being transmitted to Ballarat, the operators in the Telegraph office in Lydiard street, found that there was something seriously wrong with the wires. They were puzzled for some minutes, until they went outside and saw that a large crowd was watching the performance of an escaped cockatoo belonging to Mr Gaunt, P.M. The bird had got away with a long steel chain attached to one of its legs and had selected one of the telegraph wires, about midway between the posts, as its perch. The bird itself would not have done much harm, but the chain which dangled about the wires, and ultimately got twisted round them, interfered very materially with the work in the office. The most assiduous coaxing and the heaviest stones were of no avail, and a ladder had to be procured. This was held in a perpendicular position by some men and a boy went up to disengage the bird, but "pretty cocky" used his bill with such effect that the boy was glad to descend. A man then went up and succeeded in untwisting the chain".

 

Western Australia.

The Wiluna Chronicle of June 1928 reported:

Cockatoos on Telegraph Wires.

During the past four weeks the Telegraph Department has been experiencing considerable trouble with its lines around Marble Bar and Roebourne. Another fault was registered the other day. The department was at a loss to account for the constant breaks until investigation showed that the reason was the thousands of cockatoos which nestle on the wires.

Linesmen watching the movements of the birds were treated to a rare exhibition of gymnastics on the part of the "cockies." While hundreds of them would rest on the wires or bounce on the strand, others would seize the wire in their beaks and perform some amazing convolutions, spinning around the wire to such an extent that the most surprising feature of the sight to the linesmen was that the birds did not fall from giddiness. An examination of the wire when the spinning had stopped showed that the copper had been deeply indented. When the birds would settle, their combined weight would prove too much for the wire. It is now known that the last two breaks were due to the ravages of 'cocky'".

The West Australian of 23 August 1933 reported:

"Owing to cockatoos becoming a nuisance in the town, permission has been granted by the Roebourne Road Board for a man to shoot them. It is stated that they seriously interfere with the telegraph and telephone wires. Thousands can be seen weighing down the wires in different parts of the town and they are also causing damage to the trees".

The West Australian of 6 December 1933 noted the following - although it is not directly telegraph related:

"The Albany Road Board will pay a bonus of 6d. per head on black cockatoos for the year from December 1. The pest has caused much damage in local orchards".