Bonfire Of The Parakeets Dubbed "Racist"

You'd expect wildlife groups to be upset by the news that parakeets will be fair game for hunters come 2010, but is the move racist? That's the claim made by Dr Ian Rotherham, of Sheffield Hallam University, who called the move a type of 'eco-xenophobia'. His concerns were echoed by the London Wildlife Trust, who rubbished the suggestion that these ring-necked ruffians are responsible for the declining levels of native bird species and said the parakeets are "as British as curry". Despite the awkward simile — curry may be our 'national dish', but it sure ain't a British invention — the Trust may have accidentally stumbled onto a solution for disposing with the hundreds of bird bodies that'll be piling up come January: anybody for parakeet jalfrezi with basmati rice? Goes down nicely with a bottle of Kingfisher. (Photo / Lip Kee)