Sunday, March 28, 2010
Steve Graf responds to DOC paper on Poisoning Paradise
A short while ago, we posted the Department of Conservation's report that criticised the documentary Poisoning Paradise. Here is Steve Graf's response.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Animal Ethics paper - a must read!
Whether you support 1080, or abhor it, this short scientific analysis on the humaneness of 1080, is a must read!
It was part of the ERMA review, like many other important papers, but mattered little, like so many other important papers.
However, the statement in the Discussion section is worthy of comment....
"The Application for the Reassessment of 1080 indicates that 1080 brings
significant benefits to other species, especially at the population level, and to
livestock health, without significant environmental risks."....
This comment is consistent with unfounded statements supporting the use of 1080, in the ERMA review. The truth is, there is not a single credible, scientific study that shows a net population benefit to any native species through the use of aerially applied 1080 poison. And conversely, the evidence points to much harm being done.
Please click on the link above.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Lincoln Uni & Landcare Research to poison deer
A scientific study is currently underway at Lincoln University, for Landcare Research.
They are to poison deer with 1080, to test how the poison affects them after ingestion - even though the users have been killing deer with 1080 for 30 years! (Trying to disprove Poisoning Paradise, one could guess. Perhaps the researchers should watch the recently added cow footage in Poisoning Paradise, for further understanding?)
You see, it is illegal to kill deer with 1080 poison in New Zealand - even thought DoC, AHB, and regional councils kill an estimated 20,000 per year. (Eason - Barr - Poisoning Paradise)
It's also illegal to kill native wildlife (Wildlife Act), drop poison into waterways (HSNO Act), contaminate traditional food sources (Treaty of Waitangi), not to mention the Animal Welfare Act. The 3 users - DoC, AHB, and regional councils, perpetrate all of these breaches while they continue to permit 1080 to be dropped from aircraft...
Quote -
Seven social sins: politics without principles, wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, and worship without sacrifice.
- Mahatma Gandhi
(1869 - 1948)
The 6th one is particularly relative to the 1080 practice in New Zealand.
They are to poison deer with 1080, to test how the poison affects them after ingestion - even though the users have been killing deer with 1080 for 30 years! (Trying to disprove Poisoning Paradise, one could guess. Perhaps the researchers should watch the recently added cow footage in Poisoning Paradise, for further understanding?)
You see, it is illegal to kill deer with 1080 poison in New Zealand - even thought DoC, AHB, and regional councils kill an estimated 20,000 per year. (Eason - Barr - Poisoning Paradise)
It's also illegal to kill native wildlife (Wildlife Act), drop poison into waterways (HSNO Act), contaminate traditional food sources (Treaty of Waitangi), not to mention the Animal Welfare Act. The 3 users - DoC, AHB, and regional councils, perpetrate all of these breaches while they continue to permit 1080 to be dropped from aircraft...
Quote -
Seven social sins: politics without principles, wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, and worship without sacrifice.
- Mahatma Gandhi
(1869 - 1948)
The 6th one is particularly relative to the 1080 practice in New Zealand.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Poisoning Paradise in the Netherlands
We were emailed by the major movie reviewer in the Netherlands yesterday.
They requested a copy of Poisoning Paradise to review.
This came as a surprise, as we were unaware this corner of Earth was aware of New Zealand.
It's exciting news, as we might finally get an independent film critic to look at Poisoning Paradise and tell us what DoC, and other government agencies have been telling New Zealand since it was released....that it's crap, and has no truth to it, what so ever!
Once the review is completed, it will be posted here, whether it supports government or not.
Click here to view the site.
Poisoning Paradise is currently entered into 10 international film festivals, with more to come.
It has been nominated for an award in the first of these festivals, which is yet to be finalised.
Oh, and by the way Rebecca Coleman (please see previous posts too learn about Rebecca Coleman), if you're keeping pace, please email Movie 2 Movie and tell them how terrible we are!
They requested a copy of Poisoning Paradise to review.
This came as a surprise, as we were unaware this corner of Earth was aware of New Zealand.
It's exciting news, as we might finally get an independent film critic to look at Poisoning Paradise and tell us what DoC, and other government agencies have been telling New Zealand since it was released....that it's crap, and has no truth to it, what so ever!
Once the review is completed, it will be posted here, whether it supports government or not.
Click here to view the site.
Poisoning Paradise is currently entered into 10 international film festivals, with more to come.
It has been nominated for an award in the first of these festivals, which is yet to be finalised.
Oh, and by the way Rebecca Coleman (please see previous posts too learn about Rebecca Coleman), if you're keeping pace, please email Movie 2 Movie and tell them how terrible we are!
Monday, March 15, 2010
"Graf's facts wrong"....everyone's wrong!....but DoC - DoC website
The Department of Conservation is getting desperate, it would seem.
In an attempt to try to stop their dangerous 1080 industry from being further exposed, they have added all kinds of false claims and foolish DVD's to their website. This move is counter productive, and actually provides proof to what many New Zealander's have been saying for years - that DoC have no idea what they are doing.
On their web-page, DoC imply that everyone opposing 1080 is "WRONG"!
Click here to view the web page on how everyone's wrong, but DoC.
To load a DVD of a person in a DoC uniform stating that they "believe" 1080 is helping a particular species, as evidence, is a classic example of DoC propaganda.
Of course, it amounts to nothing more than hearsay, guesswork, and wishful thinking - with no credible scientific evidence what so-ever. (The usual ingredients for DoC studies)
They've got away with it for years, and the famous quote......"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth", by Einstein, sums it up nicely here.
In another video clip, which includes bird song as their evidence, they try to counter a news item that an aerial drop of 1080 directly into snow, killed plenty of birds. (The extent that DoC
has gone to - to try to dismiss this tongue in cheek comment, is extraordinary. There certainly must be some truth to it.)
In another example - DoC state that 1080 does not kill freshwater crayfish, quoting the "study" done by Surren. It's another foolish assumption, as usual, to try to convince the public that this deadly poison is safe to native wildlife, and that if it doesn't kill them outright, who cares!
In this study, the crayfish were killed before they could die from the poison, which could take up to several weeks, if it does in fact kill them. (But we don't know, because DoC have yet to study how much 1080 it takes to kill freshwater crayfish).
Even so, the DoC have chosen to ignore the more important question - what happens to the crayfish after they've eaten the bait? What happens to the birds and eels that eat the crayfish that have eaten the bait? How does it affect their long term breeding, and ability to fight disease, should they recover? We don't know, because DoC have never studied any of these long term effects in New Zealand wildlife.
In fact, their claims contain little credible scientific evidence what so ever.
There is not a single, credible, scientific study that shows a net population benefit to any native species through the use of aerial 1080 poison - not one!
For DoC to use their uniform, and the authority that's meant to go with it, to mislead, and fool the public is unacceptable. And to use tax payers money to try to smother truth, and freedom of speech, just helps to confirm that New Zealand is indeed, a Nanny State!
In an attempt to try to stop their dangerous 1080 industry from being further exposed, they have added all kinds of false claims and foolish DVD's to their website. This move is counter productive, and actually provides proof to what many New Zealander's have been saying for years - that DoC have no idea what they are doing.
On their web-page, DoC imply that everyone opposing 1080 is "WRONG"!
Click here to view the web page on how everyone's wrong, but DoC.
To load a DVD of a person in a DoC uniform stating that they "believe" 1080 is helping a particular species, as evidence, is a classic example of DoC propaganda.
Of course, it amounts to nothing more than hearsay, guesswork, and wishful thinking - with no credible scientific evidence what so-ever. (The usual ingredients for DoC studies)
They've got away with it for years, and the famous quote......"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth", by Einstein, sums it up nicely here.
In another video clip, which includes bird song as their evidence, they try to counter a news item that an aerial drop of 1080 directly into snow, killed plenty of birds. (The extent that DoC
has gone to - to try to dismiss this tongue in cheek comment, is extraordinary. There certainly must be some truth to it.)
In another example - DoC state that 1080 does not kill freshwater crayfish, quoting the "study" done by Surren. It's another foolish assumption, as usual, to try to convince the public that this deadly poison is safe to native wildlife, and that if it doesn't kill them outright, who cares!
In this study, the crayfish were killed before they could die from the poison, which could take up to several weeks, if it does in fact kill them. (But we don't know, because DoC have yet to study how much 1080 it takes to kill freshwater crayfish).
Even so, the DoC have chosen to ignore the more important question - what happens to the crayfish after they've eaten the bait? What happens to the birds and eels that eat the crayfish that have eaten the bait? How does it affect their long term breeding, and ability to fight disease, should they recover? We don't know, because DoC have never studied any of these long term effects in New Zealand wildlife.
In fact, their claims contain little credible scientific evidence what so ever.
There is not a single, credible, scientific study that shows a net population benefit to any native species through the use of aerial 1080 poison - not one!
For DoC to use their uniform, and the authority that's meant to go with it, to mislead, and fool the public is unacceptable. And to use tax payers money to try to smother truth, and freedom of speech, just helps to confirm that New Zealand is indeed, a Nanny State!
Friday, March 12, 2010
More to a forest than a single species
The following paper points out that most New Zealand forest dwelling birds are susceptible to 1080 poison, as pointed out in the documentary Poisoning Paradise. This paper was released prior to DoC's establishment.
What is concerning is, that since the formation of the Department of Conservation, and taking into account the Government's interests with 1080, DoC have desperately tried to downplay the risks to the environment with their use of this poison.
We often hear about individual species projects like "Project Kaka", or the "Mohua" project in the Catlins. Another disturbing example is their single species "work" with Kea. We all know Kea are a curious parrot. We all know that they have been killed by 1080 poison.
We all know that you could drop rusty old tin cans out of choppers and Kea would eat them.
Yet, since the Fox incident where 7 of the 17 tagged birds were poisoned (which was leaked to the media, by the way), DoC have begun a new study to try to prove that Kea don't eat attractive food, laced with poison! Intriguing!
What is concerning is, that since the formation of the Department of Conservation, and taking into account the Government's interests with 1080, DoC have desperately tried to downplay the risks to the environment with their use of this poison.
We often hear about individual species projects like "Project Kaka", or the "Mohua" project in the Catlins. Another disturbing example is their single species "work" with Kea. We all know Kea are a curious parrot. We all know that they have been killed by 1080 poison.
We all know that you could drop rusty old tin cans out of choppers and Kea would eat them.
Yet, since the Fox incident where 7 of the 17 tagged birds were poisoned (which was leaked to the media, by the way), DoC have begun a new study to try to prove that Kea don't eat attractive food, laced with poison! Intriguing!
They say they are dropping the poison below the open top line (where the birds are safe) and where most of the public believe is Kea's only habitat. Wrong! Kea live in the forest as well, and feed off the forest floor. In one study, it was noted that 30% of the poisonous food is retained in the canopy - where birds like Kea and Kaka spend a lot of time.
What DoC must realise is that there are many other native species affected in every 1080 drop - not just Kaka, or not just Kea - both of which are known to eat carrot and cereal bait - and both have been found dead with residues of 1080 poison.
There's a complex ecosystem out there that is being adversely affected every time a 1080 food drop takes place. It's time to start looking at the forest as a whole, not just through a hole from the forest canopy.
NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, VOL. 2. 1979
A THEORETICAL ASSESSMENT OF THE ABILITY OF
BIRD SPECIES TO RECOVER FROM AN IMPOSED
REDUCTION IN NUMBERS, WITH PARTICULAR
REFERENCE TO 1080 POISONING
E. B. SPURR
Protection Forestry Division, Forest Research Institute,
N.Z. Forest Service, P.O. Box 31-011, Christchurch
SUMMARY: A consideration of the composition of bird diets, and the list of bird species
found deadl indicates that most New Zealand land bird species risk being killed by feeding
directly on baits poisoned with Compound 1080 or by eating poisoned prey. Theoretically,
if a population of a species is heavily reduced, its ability, or inability, to recover can be
predicted from a consideration of its reproductive and dispersal capacities. Species with poor
reproductive potential and poor dispersal have a high risk of non-recovery, e.g., the three
species of kiwi, the takahe, kakapo, laughing owl, bush wren, rock wren, fernbird,
yellowhead, stitchbird, saddleback, kokako, and New Zealand thrush. Species with either poor
reproduction or poor dispersal are medium risk species, e.g., the New Zealand falcon, weka,
New Zealand pigeon, kaka, kea, the three species of parakeets, the morepork, rifleman, brown
creeper, whitehead, and robin. Species with good reproductive and good dispersal capacities
are low risk species, e.g., the Australasian harrier, pukeko, kingfisher, welcome swallow, New
Zealand pipit, grey warbler, fantail, tit, silvereye, bellbird, and tui. The implications of this
classification are discussed in relation to forest management practice.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Letter from a scientist
We received an email from a 4th year university student requesting further information on 1080 , and wanting to help out, if at all possible.
I forwarded the email on to one of the Scientists featured on Poisoning Paradise, Dr. Pat Whiting-OKeefe, requesting she respond. Her reply sums up New Zealand's poison industry pretty well.....
The email from the student.....
I am a fourth year Ecology student. This year i am starting my first year of masters in Ecology, studying cyanobacteria in fiordland fjords. I have interests in botany, freshwater ecology, marine ecology, anything to do with conservation you name it. Anyway, i recently saw poisioning paradise and it really opened my eyes, i was ****ing disgusted and enraged to put it politely, to learn just what it is doing to our native ecosystems. Since i have become aware of its negative implications i have begun to tell as many of my fellow pairs as i can. Sadly through teachings in our courses 1080 is percieved as good. I think that as a scientist and ecologist i have to do something to change this. I was wondering if you could please send me some scientific information that i can show to others to make them see both sides of the arguement. Furthermore, i think you both should be comended for your conservation efforts and for putting 1080 into the public spotlight. I would also like to offer you my help, please let me know if theres anything i can do to help end 1080.
Cheers, ---- Ends.
Dr. Pat Whiting-OKeefe responds.....
Hello ----,
Clyde sent me your email. We welcome you as a scientist to the world of ecosystems and environments in New Zealand. Unfortunately, most jobs for environmentalists in NZ are one way or the other sponsored by our government that currently has poison-mania. In case you haven’t seen it, there was a recent press release from Soil and Health Assoc. of New Zealand which I believe very accurately characterized our government’s attitude toward poisons. I am forwarding same to you.
I am Pat Whiting-OKeefe, a PhD Chemist. I received my doctorate from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California, one of the foremost technology institutions in the world. My husband, Quinn and I (for some years now New Zealand citizens) participated in the documentary that Steve and Clyde produced. Quinn is also from Caltech, is a biostatistician, a mathematician, a medical doctor who also has a degree in Chemistry. His specialty is the design of medical and biological system trials and experiments to prove or disprove a proposed effect. He is recognized as a leading specialist in this domain and is extremely well qualified to judge the merits of the science that is conducted by DoC to determine the effect that aerial 1080 is having on our environment.
As we both testified in the documentary, Poisoning Paradise, Ecocide in New Zealand, DoC has badly misled the people about the effect of its poisoning regime and indeed the scientific results from the studies they have conducted bear this out, despite their claims to the contrary. I could send you a CD containing our ERMA submission which was a study of the published scientific papers on the effect aerial 1080 was having on animal populations in New Zealand (or elsewhere, except it is not used in this manner anywhere else). The CD would include the more than 100 papers referenced on this subject and includes hyperlinks from our submission to the references so that you can judge for yourself. ERMA ignored our submission as well as all the others and all the testimony at the hearings. Indeed they even published their conclusions prior to any of the hearings.
I caution you though that our submission is now out of date. However the CD would include new information such as the tragic loss of those 7 keas on fox glacier in 2008, etc. That and other fallout since then were included in the documentary.
If you are interested, please send me your mailing address. Nonetheless, I think that the documentary, especially the shorter version, provides compelling evidence of what aerial 1080 is doing to our natural environment.
Best regards,
Pat Whiting-OKeefe
I forwarded the email on to one of the Scientists featured on Poisoning Paradise, Dr. Pat Whiting-OKeefe, requesting she respond. Her reply sums up New Zealand's poison industry pretty well.....
The email from the student.....
I am a fourth year Ecology student. This year i am starting my first year of masters in Ecology, studying cyanobacteria in fiordland fjords. I have interests in botany, freshwater ecology, marine ecology, anything to do with conservation you name it. Anyway, i recently saw poisioning paradise and it really opened my eyes, i was ****ing disgusted and enraged to put it politely, to learn just what it is doing to our native ecosystems. Since i have become aware of its negative implications i have begun to tell as many of my fellow pairs as i can. Sadly through teachings in our courses 1080 is percieved as good. I think that as a scientist and ecologist i have to do something to change this. I was wondering if you could please send me some scientific information that i can show to others to make them see both sides of the arguement. Furthermore, i think you both should be comended for your conservation efforts and for putting 1080 into the public spotlight. I would also like to offer you my help, please let me know if theres anything i can do to help end 1080.
Cheers, ---- Ends.
Dr. Pat Whiting-OKeefe responds.....
Hello ----,
Clyde sent me your email. We welcome you as a scientist to the world of ecosystems and environments in New Zealand. Unfortunately, most jobs for environmentalists in NZ are one way or the other sponsored by our government that currently has poison-mania. In case you haven’t seen it, there was a recent press release from Soil and Health Assoc. of New Zealand which I believe very accurately characterized our government’s attitude toward poisons. I am forwarding same to you.
I am Pat Whiting-OKeefe, a PhD Chemist. I received my doctorate from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California, one of the foremost technology institutions in the world. My husband, Quinn and I (for some years now New Zealand citizens) participated in the documentary that Steve and Clyde produced. Quinn is also from Caltech, is a biostatistician, a mathematician, a medical doctor who also has a degree in Chemistry. His specialty is the design of medical and biological system trials and experiments to prove or disprove a proposed effect. He is recognized as a leading specialist in this domain and is extremely well qualified to judge the merits of the science that is conducted by DoC to determine the effect that aerial 1080 is having on our environment.
As we both testified in the documentary, Poisoning Paradise, Ecocide in New Zealand, DoC has badly misled the people about the effect of its poisoning regime and indeed the scientific results from the studies they have conducted bear this out, despite their claims to the contrary. I could send you a CD containing our ERMA submission which was a study of the published scientific papers on the effect aerial 1080 was having on animal populations in New Zealand (or elsewhere, except it is not used in this manner anywhere else). The CD would include the more than 100 papers referenced on this subject and includes hyperlinks from our submission to the references so that you can judge for yourself. ERMA ignored our submission as well as all the others and all the testimony at the hearings. Indeed they even published their conclusions prior to any of the hearings.
I caution you though that our submission is now out of date. However the CD would include new information such as the tragic loss of those 7 keas on fox glacier in 2008, etc. That and other fallout since then were included in the documentary.
If you are interested, please send me your mailing address. Nonetheless, I think that the documentary, especially the shorter version, provides compelling evidence of what aerial 1080 is doing to our natural environment.
Best regards,
Pat Whiting-OKeefe
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
1080 in distilled water - still potent, 10 years after added
"1080 solutions prepared in distilled water and stored at room temperature for 10 years showed no significant breakdown; moreover, solutions of 1080 prepared in stagnant algal-laden water did not lose biocidal properties during 12 months (McIlroy 1981a). More research on 1080 persistence in aquatic environments seems needed."
Paper - Contaminant Hazard Reviews 1 - 35 Patuxent Wildlife Research Centre.
This reference was requested by proponents of 1080, on this blog.
Department of Conservation employeee, Ian Gill, has said he will provide the evidence that 1080 - monoflurouactetate - is present in the tea we buy off supermarket shelves. He has said he will provide this evidence this week. DoC, and their apologists, continue to assert that 1080 is present in tea. So it was good of Ian to offer to provide this evidence, as we have been unable to find it. Thanks Ian, much appreciated.
Paper - Contaminant Hazard Reviews 1 - 35 Patuxent Wildlife Research Centre.
This reference was requested by proponents of 1080, on this blog.
Department of Conservation employeee, Ian Gill, has said he will provide the evidence that 1080 - monoflurouactetate - is present in the tea we buy off supermarket shelves. He has said he will provide this evidence this week. DoC, and their apologists, continue to assert that 1080 is present in tea. So it was good of Ian to offer to provide this evidence, as we have been unable to find it. Thanks Ian, much appreciated.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Poisoning Paradise nominated for UK award!
The controversial 1080 documentary that won the Skeptics "Bent Spoon" award - and which saw activist Chris Short refuse to come down from Mount Tongariro unless it was screened on national television - has just been nominated for a more prestigious, UK film festival award.Poisoning Paradise - Ecocide New Zealand was entered into the Environment and Ecology category at the Swansea Bay Film Festival, in the UK.
"We anticipated resistance to the film in this country" said Clyde Graf, who co-produced - directed the film with his brother Steve, "however, we underestimated just how strong that resistance would be."
The Graf's believe the film will raise awareness around the world, and will attract more focused attention into the use of 1080 poison in New Zealand.
"We might finally get some unclouded, international scrutiny into this obscene practice of mass animal cruelty, and contamination that, up until now, has been concealed by the walls of our forests." Mr. Graf went on to say.
Poisoning Paradise is awaiting nomination in 7 other international film festivals.
ENDS.
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