A BIKE-store owner has called for rogue magpies on the Border to be relocated, fearing swooping birds could eventually cause the death of a cyclist.
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Stephen Kilpatrick, from Albury’s The Full Cycle, fears startled riders could be seriously hurt or killed.
“I believe more has to be done,” he said.
“I know they are a protected animal but I can see an accident where people will be seriously injured or killed by a magpie attack ... and it may even be a child it happens to.”
About once every year, Mr Kilpatrick hears of an accident caused by a magpie.
Others choose not to ride at all during nesting season in August and September.
The worst spots for swooping birds are gum-lined country roads but Mr Kilpatrick said the magpies pose the biggest menace in high-traffic areas.
He named the magpie on Smollett Street that terrorises those who pedal past as an example of a particularly aggressive bird that might need to be relocated.
“A rider only needs to be distracted and move into a path of another vehicle,” he said.
In Albury, complaints about magpies are dealt with by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service or Department of Environment and Heritage.
They will give approval for birds to be destroyed if they are “a public safety risk”.
In Victoria, magpies are a matter for the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment.
DSE spokesman Darren Skelton said killing the birds was a “last resort” only used in serious circumstances.
“The best strategy is to avoid areas where aggressive birds are swooping at people during breeding season, based on local knowledge,” he said.
“However, if it can be shown that all avoidance strategies have failed and the bird continues to attack and is likely to cause injury, the bird may be relocated or destroyed by a licensed wildlife controller.”
