Favourite species

Many years ago I began to organise wild life shows and the Perth Town Hall.

Thousands of people came each year to enjoy seeing wildlife both plants and animals, paying admission which helped the club of which I was president.

One year, we handed out cards asking visitors to write the name of the animal they considered our most popular with people; mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, any kind.

At the close of the day I worked out the result.

The kookaburra had come at the top well ahead of kangaroo and koala.

Why had this giant among world kingfishers been so popular?

Once, no doubt it was found all over Australia until with climatic changes it, like the koala had died our in Western Australia and Tasmania, though still found as a fossil in the first state.

The happy laugh and friendly attitude to humans was a great help; as well as their ability as snake killers.

Certainly earlier settlers liked it so much they introduced live birds into both states.

In the west in 1901, the then Duke of Edinburgh encouraged by the head of the local zoo, released a number a birds.

They flourished, both here and in Tasmania; earning the dislike of some naturalists since it was found they also - besides snakes - ate baby birds in their nests.

Most people would not agree.

Lots of predators like crows, hawks and currawongs also do the same; though none produce damaging effects on the total population of other bird species.

Personally I like them.

So did Veronica Parry, an American biology student who also fell in love with them when she saw kookaburras for the first time in San Diego zoo in the United States.

She decided she would come to Australia to see the birds in their home.

She also managed to organise work to earn a doctorate on the species.

The late Bob Raymond; founder of ABC's Four Corners, and I worked together to create the popular television series, Shell's Australia.

We spend a happy day in the bush with Veronica plus nesting kookaburras to make her famous with a wider world; creating a whole program on the bird and herself.

Dr Vincent Serventy, Pearl Beach