Comparing with other products
Acoustic protections against pest birds come in many different shapes and sizes. In Canada there are a number of products available, techniques ranging upon the situation they are called upon to be used. Taking a high tech approach to pest control are the electronic noise devices, these work by using a variety of annoying noises to the target bird or pest (Fraser, 2010). Usually these consist of distress calls, an advantage to this is that it attracts birds of preys therefore furthering the protection of the crops (Fraser, 2010). This product would be a disadvantage to the people of Nepal due to their lack of electricity. Another acoustic method of protection more closely related to the bird banger is a pyrotechnic pistol; The user aims the gun to shoot a cartridge into oncoming flocks before they have a chance to land in the field of crops (Fraser, 2010). By taking this approach the bird get scared away from the area completely, this is considered the most effective method and is used by a wide range of Canadian farmers (Fraser, 2010). While this product may get closer to the pest it would lead into troubles for the people of Nepal due to the constant need to buy more pyrotechnic cartridges.
Table 1 is a guide to the combination of techniques that Canadian farmers use to prevent damage from bird destruction (Fraser, 2010).
Suppliers
Margo supplies LTD wild life management specialists are a Canadian supplier of wildlife protection equipment (Margo Supplies, 2015). The company is located in High River, Alberta, Canada with office hours of 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM mountain time, Monday to Friday; by phone they can be reached at (403)-652-1932. The email address given is [email protected] (Margo Supplies, 2015). Margo Supplies LTD carries a large variety of wildlife scare products, ranging from trapping devices to repellents (Margo Supplies, 2015).
Margo Supplies carries 2 different Zon brand models of propane scare cannons (Margo Supplies, 2015). The first model is a called a Zon Mark 4 bird scaring cannon- standard mechanical model (Margo Supplies, 2015). This cannon is the simplest design of the different models but is ensured to be durable for harsh weather and built with long lasting parts (Margo Supplies, 2015). The explosion intervals of this cannon can be set to times between 40 seconds and half an hour (Margo Supplies, 2015). This model weighing only 8.4 kilograms, just under 20 pounds would be idea to move around frequently and could be transported to rural area quite readily (Margo Supplies, 2015). Another advantage to this model is that it is energy efficient; with low gas usage. A twenty pound tank of propane grants about 17,000 shots ensuring that the farmers of Nepal would be the most economic option (Margo Supplies). Margo Supplies carries this product for 280.00 US dollars but also has the option of buying this cannon used for a reduced price of 225.00 US dollars (Margo Supplies, 2015).
The second Cannon Margo carries is the Zon ELECTRA multi-shot scare cannon (Margo Supplies, 2015). The difference between the Mark 4 and the ELECTRA cannon is the ability to fire multiple shots at the time of each interval (Margo Supplies, 2015). The benefits to this is that the first explosion catches the bird by surprise, the second shot drives the bird away and the third shot is a safe guard to insure they will not come back (Fraser, 2010). While this Cannon is considered the more effective model of the two cannons it may not be suitable for Nepal due the increased price. The ELECTRA model bird scare cannons is sold from Margo supplies at a price of 475.00 US dollars, for this reason the single shot cannon would be a better fit to export to Nepal (Margo supplies, 2015).
Spin –off products
For a propane bird banger to operate, one of the obvious essential components of the system is the propane itself. While The Scare Cannon is a low gas usage unit, profiting seventeen thousand explosions per twenty pound tank of propane, it will eventually need to be reloaded with the propyl gas (Margo Supplies, 2015). Canada is seventh largest producer of propane in the world; in fact nearly one hundred percent of Canada’s propane is produced on home soil (The Canadian Propane Association, 2015). According to the Canadian Propane Association, virtually eleven billion litres of propane is produced in Canada per year, half of which is used on native land and the other half is exported to other nations; this generates twenty three thousand Canadian jobs while circulating sixteen billion dollars into the economy (Canadian propane association, 2015).
The major propane trading hubs are located in Edmonton Alberta and Sarnia Ontario (Propane Market Review - Final Report, 2014).
Figure 1 shows the major propane trading hubs in Canada.
A drawback to this idea Canada is that prevailing terminals for propane exports to oversea countries are nonexistent as propane is shipped solely to the USA (Propane Market Review - Final Report, 2014). A solution to this could be to ship propane to America where it could be then passed over sea to Nepal.
A drawback to this idea Canada is that prevailing terminals for propane exports to oversea countries are nonexistent as propane is shipped solely to the USA (Propane Market Review - Final Report, 2014). A solution to this could be to ship propane to America where it could be then passed over sea to Nepal.