An ‘extremely cruel’ driver has copped a hefty fine after he was caught crushing a nest of native baby birds under his ute.
The man behind the wheel of a large grey ute was filmed reversing over a nest of several masked lapwing plover chicks at a Brisbane worksite in November.
He is seen twisting the wheel back and forth as the parents of the chicks squawk loudly in attempts to stop the unwarranted attack.
‘Oh that’s disgusting,’ the woman who captured the footage is heard saying.
Wildlife authorities fined the man $718 for his ‘sickening’ actions.
An ‘extremely cruel’ driver has copped a hefty fine after he was caught crushing a nest of native baby birds under his ute on a Brisbane worksite
He told investigators he wanted to ‘move the birds on’ for ‘development reasons’.
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service’s Warren Christensen described the man’s actions as ‘disturbing’ and ‘extremely cruel’.
‘As he is driving over the nest, the parents of the chicks were squawking and flapping their wings in a futile attempt to prevent it,’ he said.
‘That is not the way our native wildlife should be treated, and it is believed the plovers would have moved on from the area in a matter of weeks.’
Wildlife officer Rachel Baker said an investigation was launched after a member of the public provided footage of a vehicle driving over a nest of chicks.
‘During the investigation, we received troubling video from a member of the public that allegedly showed the man in his vehicle deliberately targeting the nest,’ Ms Baker said.
‘Under the Nature Conservation Act 1992, it is an offence to take, or kill a protected animal unless the person is authorised under the act.
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‘The maximum court-imposed penalty for breaching the act is $14,375.’
Emma Lagoon, from the RSPCA, said the man’s actions were ‘callous’ and ‘completely unacceptable’.
‘With spring just around the corner, more birds and their young will be out and about so it’s important to be respectful of their breeding cycle. There is also a legal requirement by developers under the Act that a fauna spotter/catcher is present when land clearing is undertaken as part of planned works,’ she said.
‘We would like to see an increase in education and awareness for developers to ensure they understand their obligations under legislation and the potential consequences for killing wildlife.
‘This case is simply disgusting and heartbreaking. You can clearly see in the footage how distressed the parent birds are as their young are crushed by this developer. This kind of behaviour will not be tolerated by the community.’
The man is seen twisting his wheel back and forth over the nest as the parents of the chicks squawk loudly in attempts to stop the attack (pictured, a masked lapwing plover chick)
Wildlife officer Rachel Baker said an investigation was launched after a member of the public provided footage of a vehicle driving over a nest of chicks
It comes as a rise in animal cruelty cases is blamed on the cost of living crisis, with some owners found to be depriving their pets of basic needs.
New data from the RSPCA in Western Australia has revealed an 11 per cent increase in animal cruelty reports in the past year.
The animal rights body received 7,126 animal cruelty reports in the 2022-23 financial year, an average of more than 19 a day.
There were 1507 reports involving animals who had not been given enough food or water reported in the past 12 months, a 22 per cent increase.
There was also a 32 per cent spike in abandonments, with 1173 reports of an abandoned animal.
