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Interesting read...
I was a professional trapper on MT Egmont of over 20 years. Having starting up my own business 45 years ago dealing in possum. In the 90's when DOC did their first drop of 1080 on MT Egmont myself and my staff tramped on the mountain . We experienced the pellets and the dust crashing through the trees. The following two days we photographed dead birds everywhere. We found four dead possum amongst dozens of birds’ even photographing them laying in the streams. Before the second drop DOC approached me and took me for a flight around mount Egmont. This was to show me the "possum damage" to the bush. After this flight I took a reporter from the Taranaki Daily News into MT Egmont national park to inspect the dying Rimu trees that DOC were saying the possum was killing. The Rimu trees had moss on their trunks and there was no possum sign (" marks on trunk from claws"), at all on the Rimu trees. Which leads me to believe that the Rimu was going through the aging process. Before the 1080 drop the bird life on MT Egmont was plentiful. When I trapped the birds were everywhere and the fantails and tom tits would follow me as I worked. While trapping up there I hardly ever caught a rat in my traps. Trampers often call into my business and mention that the bird life is nonexistent up the mountain. Up until last year possum products turned over 142 million dollars in New Zealand. The overseas visitors cannot get enough of the possum product and we cannot produce enough for the market. We are the only country that allows (aerial) 1080 to be used. (Ed: Australia has started) Wouldn’t that say enough for DOC to stop the use of this cruel poison? There is a better way to eradicate this pest so it is a win win for all concerned. Trapping is the way to go. Money is made and the pest is controlled.
LISTEN DOC, STOP THE DROP!!!!
Stu Bracegirdle |