ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

No doubt you are all aware of the big discussions re gamba grass


Elephants loose in the top paddock


Why is an elephant in your paddock mate – that seems a tad bizarre?
He stands out like the proverbial – spotted him from afar
and thought my eyes were seeing things that really were not there
thought it must be dark grey shadows – or some sun reflected glare.

But it ain’t, I see him clearly, he’s just grazing with the cows
though I notice he’s already stripped your garden of its flowers,
and did you know your fence was down back up the road a bit?
I sure hope you’ve enough dung beetles to break down mounds of sh*t.

Oh he’s there to eat the Gamba grass. I bet he eats a lot
but don’t you rotate you cattle – surely each paddock you plot?
Oh! ‘twas a Guv’ment initiative to reduce fierce bush fires.
How do you keep the buggers in - they won’t be stopped by wires?

When all the Gamba grass is gone – what then will this bloke eat?
I suspect he’ll start then on the trees or maybe fields of wheat
or perhaps the corn and veggies, or those orchards down the road.
Mate he could turn out a bigger pest than the bloody cane toad.


Maureen Clifford © 02/12

something different and quirky Maureen.

Quirky but true - though do suspect the suggestion made re elephants was tongue in cheek

Having not learned their lesson with the cane toad, rabbit, and various other foreign pests the Australian Government has introduced to Australia, they have now introduced one of Africa's worst weeds, Gamba grass. To feed the cattle its worth it to them, they say.

Professor Bowman believes yet more species need to be introduced to Australia.
This time they should be mega-herbivores such as elephants, rhinoceroses or Komodo dragons, which would help reduce the thriving African grass called gamba, a major fire hazard.
"[Gamba grass] is too big for marsupial grazers (kangaroos) and for cattle and buffalo, the largest feral mammals. But gamba grass is a great meal for elephants or rhinoceroses," Professor Bowman writes.
"The idea of introducing elephants may seem absurd, but the only other methods likely to control gamba grass involve using chemicals or physically clearing the land, which would destroy the habitat.

Read more: http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/intro ... z1lhSKJwhP