A simple message from UnitedFuture - the party for outdoors people

UnitedFuture has released it's video message for the 2011 election. It's short, informative, and good.

UnitedFuture has some great policies, and your party vote is what we're asking for. Click here to view the short video clip.

Authorised by Hon Peter Dunne MP, Parliament Buildings, Wellington

Introduced Animal Phobia - alive and well in New Zealand

Notes for an illustrated talk for the Ruahine Action Group at Palmerston North given by W. F. Benfield. 29/10/11.

Today, I want to talk about deer. Not about hunting deer, but about the deer’s role in the landscape.
This is really only an issue, because the people who control the deer, the Department of Conservation, want to get rid of them, and they don’t really care how it is done, be it by helicopter meat recovery (WARO) or by poisoning them.

The question we have to ask is; why are we in this position, what is wrong with deer, or for that matter, chamois, and tahr?

It all goes back to several things, but a lot of it can be laid at the door of the famous colonial era botanist, Leonard Cockayne, and his failure to properly read the evidence of the land before him. It was Cockayne who believed that moa were few in number, lived only on grass lands and as a result, the forests were never browsed. He believed that because of this, they just could not cope with any browse at all.
It was because of this, he claimed deer browse would; firstly lead to the extinction of tree species (funnily enough, he considered possum browse was not significant). Secondly, he believed that animal browse would impair the forests ability to stop erosion, and so erosion material would be swept out onto the plains, carried by floods made worse by damaged forest and so destroy farms and towns. It was the sort of alarmist stuff that would make the good townsfolk fear for their towns and generate a lot of very anti deer sentiment.

When Professor William Graf spent time in New Zealand in the 1950’s, he was amazed at the virulent anti exotic animal phobia. Little has changed since, and as it suits the bureaucratic agenda of DoC and the fund raising hysteria of organisations like Forest & Bird. It will continue to do so until we do something about it.
As Cockayne was the consulting botanist to the Forest Service, his beliefs became departmental policy, and because they were on the authority of Cockayne, they were never questioned or tested. Even to this day the same stories get trotted out by DoC and the advocates of forest destruction, such as Forest & Bird.

In fact, if we look at the evidence, firstly on browse, archaeological evidence clearly shows the land was largely covered with forest, and moa were many in number and forest browsers; the claim that the forests were never browsed is a complete falsehood. What is more, the pre-human browse by moa and other birds was massive; it held in check the growth of the forest, it was a system in balance, maintained by the browse of the big birds.

Even possum browse is insignificant compared to the production abilities of the forest or the pre-human browse of birds. The often cited examples of possum damage are more usually the result of disease or climatic factors and have nothing to do with possum.

Cockayne’s belief that deer browse would lead to the extinction of some forest trees is so wildly misplaced in light of the fact that it is lack of browse that is leading to the slow extinction of forest types. Forests, such as ancient rimu forests are being replaced by forests of trees that in the pre-human forest would have been suppressed by the browse of moa, trees such as tawa, rata and kamahi. Deer will to some extent replace that browse, and as Thane Riney was able to show at Lake Monk, the older browse resistant types, such as rimu will once more come to dominate. Deer do have a place and are a part of a healthy forest.

Cockayne’s second belief that animal browse would cause erosion was studied in the Ruahine Ranges by the hydrologist, Patrick Grant. He found erosion follows patterns of severe weather and has nothing at all to do with animal browse. He wrote that claims by the Forest Service that forests prevent flood were "demonstrably false".

Estimates for the number of moa in pre-human New Zealand vary between 6 and 12 million. The last estimate for deer numbers was a 1993 "off the cuff calculation" of 240,000 by Landcare Research. As most are on private land, the actual numbers and impact of deer on the conservation estate is slight, and well below the level that would make any beneficial difference to the native forests and grasslands. What you really have is bush and grasslands where the problem is not deer, but a lack a lack of deer to maintain a browse.
To undertake any significant reduction in deer numbers by WARO or whatever other means would be counterproductive to the health of the conservation estate, despite that, unless we put up a strong case against it, it will go ahead, mainly because the drivers of our nations insane conservation policies are now wider than just DoC.

There is at the back of all this a growing movement, in the beginning it was just Cockayne’s irrational beliefs which became the bureaucratic agenda for forest service. It has now spread to the wider society and has morphed into a rising green religion, of a "pristine Aotearoa" a mythical land that never was. It is something that DoC can use to its advantage in levering its budgets, and in it, they are joined by conservation organisations such as Forest & Bird.

It is trying to create an indigenous ecological purity by killing off all alien exotic plants and creatures, and then put a bell jar over the land to preserve it in this pure form, free from any alien life. It is a complete fallacy, but an incredibly powerful myth amongst a largely urbanised population.

It is also an incredibly rich field for using threats to this mythical land as a driver for fund raising. The "we need your money to save our forest and birds" is used to harvest bequests and corporate sponsors. Like all of these sorts of things, the threats don’t have to be "real", its like Iraq’s "weapons of mass destruction" or the Jewish "threat" in pre-war Germany; it is creating an irrational fear.
In New Zealand, possum, stoats, rats and deer fill the role of bogeymen, and it is here that the real damage to our fauna and flora come. So irrational is the hate generated, that in a frenzy to eliminate the "pests" everything is being killed, in time, even the forests.

The winners of this deeply flawed programme will not be our beautiful birds and forests, but fast breeding rats and stoats which will be living in de-graded forests. That is why we have to break this senseless cycle of destruction.

I see our future land management as being "range management". A management whereby the whole system of the browsers and the lands and forests are allowed to as much as possible self regulate and come to their own balance, which they will in time within a "stable limit cycle". No browsers would be pests. Harvest of game animals such as deer, chamois, and tahr would have to be controlled to ensure numbers are conserved at reasonable level as is necessary for the health of the forests.

A start can be made right now by removing the "pest" status from forest browsing animals. The Minister of Conservation can do this at the stroke of a pen.

Thankyou.

Bill's Blog. http://billbenfield.blogspot.com      

Message from a pest-control operator

The following is a letter from an experienced pest control operator, and refers to his experience with managing bovine tb without using aerially applied 1080 poison ...


My name is Martin Foote. I was Vice President of the New Zealand
Oppossum Fur Producers Association (NZOFPA) for a number of years.

Before my time and during that time possum trappers took on the 1080
industry...And we made life tough for them.

Myself and a number of possum trappers knew that if we set traplines
and kept them going (not lifting 1 trap until a line of at least 100
caught nothing for 3 nights in row) we could achieve a RTC of 0% or
very, very close to it. I and others have done this numerous times
(and were paid for it in the early contracting days). Sure, compared
to an initial 1080 knockdown, it costs more. However, when you take
the lower costs of keeping the possums below 1% for however long they
need to be controlled it is cheaper in the long term.

When I approached the powers that be (DOC, Wellington Regional Council
(WRC) and AHB) and said that I would lower possum populations to below
1% and keep them there for 10 years for the same price as they were
planning to spend on 1080 over that time (with no guarantees on their
1080) they turned me down. They told me that 1080 was more cost
effective. I've never been able to work out how a guaranteed job with
the same price tag as a hopeful job, can be inferior.

I also spent some time talking to Professor Roger Morris (Massey
University) about TB in possums and TB in the environment. Roger
believed in a theory of hot-spots whereby the TB bug stays active in
the environment waiting for a new possum to come along and be
infected. These hot-spots were geographically stable and were probably
related to den sites. I asked Roger how long he thought the TB bug
could stay infectious if a TB possum died in cool, dry, dark
den....His answer was 20 YEARS.

I then asked Roger if he was interested in supervising an operation to
eradicate TB using his hot-spot theory and my trapping skills. He said
yes.

The operation was paid for by myself (with the exception that the farm
paid for my fuel). I selected Glenburn Station. Glenburn was one of
the places in the Wairarapa where TB was first recorded. The coastal
side of Glenburn had never had TB while the inland side always did. I
spent some time with Roger's staff working out an autopsy technique
that would find TB possums without slowing my skinning too much. The
agreed method took me about twice as long to skin a possum and Roger
thought I would pick up 95% of TB infections.

I caught 18 TB possums (confirmed by Massey University) from 3 areas
on the boundary of the block I eventually worked. When I was sure that
I had achieved the result I needed to show that hunters could target
TB I asked Glenburn to bring some young cattle from the coast to graze
on my block. Glenburn did so and rigorous TB testing was done....NO
REACTORS.

I then took my results to AHB and WRC. Who did their nana as I asked
for long term contracts and I wanted to only be paid if there were
clear herd tests. I remember one of the senior staff telling me that he couldn't
allow me to take a risk like that!!!!!!

After that things went down hill fast. Glenburn's manager was forced
(by politics) to let the test herd into a paddock that I had isolated
as having the largest number of TB possums coming from it. The next TB
test had reactors. 3 senior staff members started rubbishing my work at public meetings until I told them that if they continued to do so they would end up in court. 
They stopped talking about me, however, they weren't prepared to offer me any contracts and I had run out of money. This block is now planted in
pine trees with no cattle grazing and Glenburn is TB free. They put a
pine tree band aid over the problem and those infectious den sites are
still there." 


The Mapara operation...


The initial control was done by trappers. It was one of the first
trial contracts and was run by NZOPFA. The first trappers that went in
did enough work to get the first payment and then walked off. A second
group, of which I was one, went in and finished the job to the agreed
standard for the remaining money. We wanted the contract to continue
with the maintenance, however, Doc decided to follow up with aerial
1080. No good reason was ever given and we suspected that they never
expected us to succeed and DOC never had any intention of letting
hunters prove how good they were.

In the DOC ground control work, after the aerial 1080, a lot of
Brodificum was used and it was discovered that the native Falcon was
laying eggs but no chicks were hatching. Upon investigation it was
found that the eggs were contaminated with Brodificum and it was
suspected that the Falcons were catching sick and dying rats for their
prey causing sublethal poisioning that made their eggs infertile.

Malcolm Moore (Rotorua) managed the contract for NZOFPA, Ray Scimgeour
was the DOC Field Centre Manager for Te Kuiti (good bloke) and Phil
Brady was the scientist living on the job.

I've also noted that neither DOC, AHB or Regional Councils are giving
out post operation possum population figures. A few years ago we
always knew the poor 1080 operations as they didn't release the
monitoring results and they always released the results for successful
operations. I've visited ERMA's website and they have a watchlist
section for DOC and AHB to post their operations and results on. There
are very few operations there. Last years 3 Tararua blocks, including
"Project Kaka", are there, however, there are no post operation
monitoring results posted. What's the point of having a watchlist if
there is nothing to watch or evaluate? My guess is they didn't get the
possum kill they wanted. There have been a number of aerial 1080
failures in the Tararua's.


Martin Foote


Ends.

1080 poison scare in New Zealand meat

The following story appeared in The New Zealand Farmers Weekly, this week...

Stock link with 1080 checked   24/10/2011  Page eight.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry confirmed on Friday it is investigating an incident in the King Country where stock that may have come into contact with 1080 poison had been slaughtered and processed.

As a precautionary measure, the product in question has been retained. MAF is now continuing its investigations and working with pest control agencies to identify when 1080 was applied and whether the animals sent to slaughter were, in fact, at risk.

This is a standard response where there is a suspicion that there may be a problem with meat and/or meat products. The goods are being held to enable the investigation to determine their status.

Due to the fact that there is an investigation in train, MAF officials said they could not make any further comment about the incident.
ENDS.

The risk of 1080 poison terminating in NZ meat products is covered in the documentary Poisoning Paradise.

Standing for Parliament

The use of 1080 poison in New Zealand is something that needs to be stopped and replaced with humane, species specific, pest management methodology, urgently.

My brother Steve and I first began highlighting the use of 1080 poison in New Zealand, 5 years ago, releasing our first documentary - A Shadow of Doubt - in 2007.

We've since released Poisoning Paradise, and are now working on a 3rd, and final documentary that highlights the alternatives to the use of 1080 in New Zealand forests.

To continue our campaign against the use of aerially distributed 1080 poison, I was recently accepted to run as a candidate for the UnitedFuture Party in the West Coast - Tasman electorate. The election takes place on the 26th of November.

I am advocating for an International, scientific investigation be undertaken to analyse the research used to support 1080 operations, to investigate the long-term impact to ecosystems, and to analyse current methodology of aerially spreading 1080 poison across New Zealand ecosystems.

The following story appeared in the New Zealand Herald... Former bank robber seeks to be MP

2000 birds die as feral cull backfires - Macquarie Island

The following news release is about the aerial poisoning operation on Macquarie Island, which lies between Tasmania and Antarctica in the Southern Ocean. To read more, click here 

Department of Conservation respond to 89 dead kiwi post

The Department of Conservation have swiftly responded to the previous blog post, saying my claims were "extremely misleading". 


Their story can be viewed here 1080 kiwi claims extremely misleading


Here is the counter argument...


RE - In response to DoC's "1080 kiwi claims extremely misleading".

Firstly, I'd like to thank The Department of Conservation for the opportunity to raise further issues relating to the poor life expectancy for kiwi in the heavily 1080 poisoned Tongariro Forest.

DoC claim in their response..."we have never lost a single bird (kiwi) to 1080". That's an astounding statement! If DoC had have tested every kiwi that died within the poisoned area, they could make that claim. The fact is, from the information supplied, they haven't tested a single bird for 1080 poison residues from within the Tongariro Forest. Therefore, the claim is redundant. 

Given the absence of randomisation, replication, and controls in much of DoC research, it is difficult to come to any sound conclusion when referring to what the likely outcome would be if 1080 were not used. But taking into account the persistence of the department in defending it's use of 1080, the data would likely be biased - hence the need for blinding.

In their response, DoC also claim ... "Mr Graf fails to point out that chick survival in this forest more than doubled in each of the two years after the last 1080 operation in 2006 when stoat numbers were very low, compared with years without 1080". 

Once again, an astounding statement. Chick survival in the Tongariro Forest doesn't look good, going by the information supplied by the DoC.

The following Information is contained in the DoC OIA ...

Between September 2007 and March 2011 (about 4.5 years) 88 kiwi chicks were fitted with radio transmitters. Of these, only 5 are known to be alive - and of these, 3 were tagged within the last year. 

So, only 2 kiwi chicks, from 85 (88, less the 3 fitted in the last 11 months) fitted with radio tags for a period of between 1 year and 4.5 years, are known to be still alive. That's just over 2%. 

If the 3 chicks that have been fitted in the last year are included, the percentage of known survivors  from the original 88 is just over 5%. But this doesn't mean these 5 birds are going to make it to adulthood. Chances are, they won't. 

Many birds are killed in the sub-adult age group. Of the 38 birds tagged between April 2006 and May 2010, 8 are known to be alive. 

From July 2010, to July 2011, 25 sub-adult birds have been tagged. There has been a 1080 free period in the forest, since 2006 (up until a couple of weeks ago). Of these more recent 25 tagged birds, 22 were still alive as of the 31st of July 2011. 

Of the 67 adult birds radio tagged, 24 are stated as being alive, as of July 2011.

19 are assumed to have been predated on, and 7 classed as "unknown" and "misadventure". (Why were these birds not tested, to eliminate poison as a cause of death?). The remainder dropped their tracking equipment. 

Kiwi can live for over 60 years. If so few kiwi chicks make it to adulthood in the Tongariro, and the tiny percentage that do are likely to be predated on, kiwi look like being extinct in the Tongariro forest within a generation. 

It would seem the data is being selectively analysed by the DoC, and the public are being mis-informed. DoC are focusing on claiming they get a certain percentage of fledgling survival from many species of native birds, including kiwi. Fledgling success has nothing to do with population success. What good is it if a chick lives for a few months and dies, or is killed before reproducing? 

If the data was analysed correctly, and looked at life-span, and not "fledgling success", it would be determined that the use of 1080 for pest control, isn't working. Not only is 1080 poisoning the entire ecosystem, it's endangering the welfare of our native wildlife.

The information being fed to the public is that 1080 is helping kiwi survive, when in fact, there's absolutely no evidence of that. New methodology is needed urgently - not more poison.

Conversely, we are informed that 5% of kiwi in untreated areas make it to adulthood. With targeted pest control, using trapping and non-persistent poisons, (not 1080) that figure could be raised substantially - if the use of 1080 was abandoned. Victor McClean, a kiwi recovery contractor on the Coromandel Peninsula, claims to get over 50% chick survival - without 1080 poison.

As a representative for UnitedFuture, I can say that I will be working hard to ensure that the UnitedFuture policy of banning 1080, is realised - and more responsible, sustainable pest control methods are employed.

Some facts on 1080 poison  - 

1080 is not only a primary (kills victim after ingesting the bait) killer, but also causes secondary poisoning. For example, if a kea eats a poisonous bait, as was the case 3 weeks ago, it will die. If a kea, the only carrion (dead flesh) eating parrot in the world, were to eat a 1080 poisoned possum carcass, it may also die from secondary poisoning. 

Poisoned carcasses can kill for months, even years after primary poisoning occurs.

1080 is persistent, especially in winter. Baits can last for months in dry and cold areas - and in regard to how 1080 breaks down in soil - research is still being undertaken. 

1080 is a broad spectrum insecticide, and many of our native birds are killed by eating poisoned insects. Kiwi are omnivores -  meaning they eat insects, and other types of foods. The Tongariro food supply of many native species has been repeatedly poisoned over the last 35 years. It's hardly any wonder kiwi aren't doing well. We could safely assume many other native species are in the same boat.

We are yet to see the full impact that the poisoning of New Zealand forests is going to have on our ecosystems. 

ENDS.

89 Dead Kiwi - 1080 Clearly Not Working

It has been revealed through an OIA request that tagged kiwi have been dying in large numbers in one of our most heavily 1080 treated forests.

Aerial 1080 drops first began in the Tongariro Forest in 1976 and have been followed with subsequent drops in parts of the forest in 1988, 1989, 1991, and over much of the forest in 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, and 2006. Another drop was carried out last week covering around 15,000 hectares.

It would be reasonable to assume, after so much 1080 poison has been spread across the forest, there could be no sign of a ferret or stoat for miles - surely? 

Not so. In the last 5 years, revealed through the DoC OIA request, 89 tagged kiwi, of all ages, have died in the Tongariro forest. Keeping in mind that the tagged kiwi only represent a fraction of the wild population, the actual numbers, from a population perspective, may be enormous.

More concerning is what's killing the birds. The assumed cause of death, in most cases ... is predation by ferret. We are told by DoC kiwi can defend themselves from mustelid attacks, once they reach 1.5kg in weight. Yet, many of these birds are adults.

When discussing the use of 1080, the DoC use sentences like "overwhelmingly successful", "very effective", "rapid knockdown" to justify their poisoning campaigns.

"It's the best tool we have for managing pests, and keeping predators at bay." At least that's what we're lead to believe by The Department of Conservation, the PCE, and Forest and Bird. 

But what's really killing the birds? Surely not predators, going by what we're told about the effectiveness of 1080 at eliminating them. If it is predators, it would also be reasonable to say that the use of 1080 poison clearly isn't working. Surprisingly, given so much poison has been dropped across the forest, not a single kiwi from the 89 deaths has been tested for 1080 poison residues. 

DoC say that the time-frames for the poison drops don't line up with the likelihood that 1080 could be a cause of death. Given the amount of poison dropped in the forest over the last 35 years, all endemic species found dead within the poisoned boundaries should be tested for poison residues, simply to eliminate toxins as a cause of death. Surely?

More concerning is the fact that in the last 15 years, with tens of millions of hectares of habitat being poisoned, only 5 kiwi across all of New Zealand have been tested for 1080 poison residues. It should be noted that kiwi are known to eat 1080 cereal bait, and 1080 residues have been detected in kiwi droppings. 

On top of the 7 poisoned kea three weeks ago, the 3 poisoned kaka earlier in the year, the loss of 11 kiwi at Mt Bruce, 21 ruru in the Waitutu, the poisoned fernbirds, robins, tomtits and others, it is becoming more clear that the experiments with 1080 poison across our forests, aren't working. 

After 35 years of poisoning campaigns, and desperately trying, there still isn't a single, credible scientific research paper that demonstrates a net population benefit to any native species through the use of aerially applied 1080 poison. Not one! And yet the drops continue.

Responsible, ground control methods do work. 50,000 hectares of the northern Te Urewera National Park is managed by DoC, trappers and volunteers. No aerial 1080 poison is used. We need to encourage, and replicate these methods, and eliminate the future use of aerially applied poisons.

The Election is less than two months away. If you'd like to see an end to 1080 poison, and more responsible, sensible methods of pest control implemented, please consider giving your party vote to UnitedFuture - the only party in government to make the banning of 1080, policy. 

Click here to view Poisoning Paradise

Seven of Nine Tagged Kea Killed in Okarito Kiwi 1080 drop

The remaining number of kea left on earth is estimated by some experts at less than one thousand. Recently, five endangered kea were reportedly shot by a disturbed gunman. 

The Department of Conservation responded by saying "We are appalled by this sort of behavior and we have referred the matter to the New Zealand police," he said. "All five animals were young and healthy and could have gone on to contribute to future generations of the species." Many New Zealanders would agree with this statement. 

Three weeks ago 1080 poison was dropped, aerially, across the Okarito kiwi sanctuary and the surrounding area. The DoC drop covered an area of around 30,000 hectares. 38 kea were radio tagged for observation during the operation.

It has just been reported that at least seven of the nine radio tagged kea from the Okarito region of the drop have been found dead. DoC state "The bad news is that we have discovered seven kea dead, most likely as a result of eating poison baits." Monitoring of the other birds is continuing. 

This is not the first time radio tagged kea have been found dead after aerial operations. Kea, kaka, and kakriki are our three endemic parrots. Parrots are intelligent, and curious. 

Kea, kaka and kakariki have all been found dead after aerial poisoning operations. That's not surprising. What is surprising, is how the Department of Conservation continue to ignore the devastating impact their aerial operations are having on these rare species, let alone others.

Every year more virgin land is aerially poisoned. Every year, the Department of Conservation, it seems, continue to mislead the public of New Zealand of the "benefits" of these aerial drops. The fact is, there is still not a single, credible scientific study that demonstrates a net population benefit to any native species through the use of aerially applied 1080 poison.

It is time we had an independent, international, scientific review into the use 1080 poison. It will likely reveal what many New Zealanders already know - that the use of 1080 poison is devastating our wildlife, dividing our communities, and likely endangering our health and the health of our children. 

In the meantime, should we expect to see the Department of Conservation prosecute itself for killing endemic wildlife? Don't hold your breath.

Ends

Poisoning Paradise wins in Japan

Poisoning Paradise has just picked up its 3rd international film festival award. This time, in Japan.

Please press this link for details.

Steve and I would like to thank those people who participated in this documentary, and those who have supported the making and the promoting of the film.

To appear in this film took courage. Some people were too afraid to appear on camera, but told of their experiences. Others have told of threats, and warnings if they speak out or speak against 1080. Others have been blacklisted. All of these people knew they would be ridiculed, attacked, smeared, and humiliated by the authorities, departments, and the people that support this out-of-touch-with-reality practice - but did so anyway. Thank goodness for these brave people, or there would be little documented evidence of the ecocide that is taking place in this country.

Poisoning Paradise includes many, many testimonies from victims of 1080 drops. It contains indisputable evidence that the aerial poisoning operations are cruel, on a massive scale. It includes analysis from many scientists, revealing how poor the research used to support the use of 1080, really is. Disturbing information, footage, and many other cans of worms are opened, and will shock viewers. What's disturbing is - it's fact!

The negative impact these poison drops are having, will, one day be acknowledged and accepted as a sad period in New Zealand history - and I hope that the people who dared to speak out, to tell the truth, and to present the evidence - for no reward - will live to see that day.

If you haven't watched Poisoning Paradise, please click on the link below...

0800 Free-call Number for Victims of 1080 Poison Operations

A free-call 0800 phone number has been set up by a group based on the West Coast of the South Island.
They want to hear from people who have been poisoned after aerial 1080 poison operations, or who have had their pets or livestock poisoned, even if historical.

To read the full story, please click on this link 0800 Free-call Number for Victims of 1080 Poison Operations

Ends

Good Work, DoC - Good Nature Traps

It's great to see that the Department of Conservation is working toward targeted, more efficient methods of pest control.
A new, humane, instant kill possum trap has been developed by private enterprise - Wellington business, Good Nature. The story appeared on a TV3 news item last night.
The trap can reportedly, kill 12 possums, before its propellant canister is required to be changed.

DoC state they spend around 20 million dollars per year on pest control. However, when taking into account the amounts spent by the AHB, Regional Councils and other departments, the NRCPB (National Research Centre for Possum Biocontrol) places the total, annual figure, at over 110 million dollars.

The current 110 million is spent to waste the possum, and contributes to contaminating our forests with poisons, and poisonous carcasses.
This money would be better spent on targeted pest management, improved track networks, and increasing the number of trappers huts throughout our forests.

Currently, over 100 million in revenue is brought into New Zealand by private possum product industries.
With further support, it is estimated this figure could be doubled.

These new self setting traps could be used in rough areas, too, although rough terrain areas are probably not needed to be managed, because possums, like the majority of birds prefer to live where the food supplies are more abundant, and where the temperatures and forest cover is more favorable.

Great work by DoC, and Good Nature.
Be sure to watch Poisoning Paradise by clicking the link below. It raises the importance and effectiveness of targeted pest control...

Minister Quick to Attack Anti-1080 Community

(Hon) Kate Wilkinson was quick to seize the opportunity to infer that those opposed to 1080 were part of a growing "anti-1080 movement" which she suggests is becoming increasingly violent on the Coromandel Peninsula. 

Ms. Wilkinson was referring to a reported assault that took place at a marine protection meeting in Tairua on the weekend.

The incident was an act of aggression, and in no way reflects the behavior of the majority of those who oppose the use of 1080 poison to kill wildlife in New Zealand. 

However, a person who was present at the meeting said the assault was different to the perspective offered by the Minister of Conservation. The person stated that the dispute had been brewing for several years, and was over the killing of 9 pig-hunters' dogs shot by the Waikato Conservation Board Chairman, Arthur Hinds, the victim of the assault. Whether you agree with shooting dogs or not, this is an emotive issue, and was what was behind the assault, the informant stated. 

Perhaps a better way to have commented on the incident was to simply condemn the assault on the respected member of the community, and then allow the Police to handle the incident..

But this is not the first time the pro-1080 lobby have taken advantage of an opportunity to paint people opposed to1080, in a bad light. In 2008 a 1080 contractor's dog was allegedly poisoned by "anti-1080 protestors". However, after the police report was completed, many months later, it was found that a likely cause of the dog's death was the dog coming into contact with traces of 1080 poison lying in the back of the contractor's vehicle. 

It is understandable that DoC wishes to stem the growing number of people in the community opposed to the use of 1080 poison, but this is not the way to do it. 

What happened on the weekend was an assault by an individual, and it will be dealt with by the police. To turn this into an opportunity to try to brand those who oppose 1080 as part of an increasingly violent "anti-1080 movement", is offensive, and provocative. 

The way in which 1080 is used is certainly emotive, and so it should be - it takes animals from hours to days to die from the effects of the poison. To watch your pet die is one of the most horrific events someone could witness. 

To have poison dropped around your property, and have your water supplies threatened with poison, is very emotive.

People are tired of having their pets poisoned, and their health threatened, at the same time as being told that it's for the greater good! 

It's time to stop the anti-social practice of aerially spreading 1080, and to use more targeted options of pest control - It's time to consider not only the welfare of the wildlife, but also the communities and the people that live around them. 
To watch the documentary on this issue, please click the link below

ENDS.

Hundreds of Endangered Birds Killed in Research

Are we too reckless when attaching tracking equipment to our native birds? Are we using our native species as expendable guinea pigs? It seems we are ...

The author of the book Kiwi Hunter, published in 2005, implies hundreds of our endemic kiwi are being killed due to poor methodology of researchers. His declaration is not an isolated occurrence.

There's plenty of evidence to show that radio-tagging birds is an invasive procedure that causes the birds stress and other physiological harm, and renders them less able to fend off predators. Some transmitters, after batteries run out, are left attached to birds, indefinitely.

Over 150 native birds are documented in Rare Bits (a DoC publication), as dying after being radio-tagged during research conducted between 2000 and 2004. In most cases there are no controls, so the results are merely observations, with no measurable comparisons. This assembly of information from Rare Bits is just the tip of the iceberg. Here are a few excerpts ...

"To date, 63 kereru (wood pigeon) have been captured and survived at least a fortnight after being radio-tagged. Of these, 28 (44.4%) have died, giving a mean life expectancy of just 0.9 years! Although the cause of death or species of predator involved is not always obvious, the following are the assumed causes:"

"kiwi: So far five of the 11 chicks have been predated, and all in the centre of the treatment area. Surviving kiwi chicks are being left in the wild in the hope that stoat density will not recover quickly enough to make their fate certain. Unfortunately only one of the 11 monitored chicks hatched early enough in the season to get the full benefit of the aerial knock-down."

"Last season we monitored 14 kiwi chicks. This work was to measure chick survival in the wild after a very effective 21,000 ha aerial 1080 operation. Eight chicks successfully hatched in the wild: four were predated by stoats, one dropped its transmitter at 1370 g and three are still being monitored. Six eggs were taken to Rainbow due to nest abandonment and were hatched successfully. The new chicks were then released back into their parental territory in Tongariro forest. Three were predated by stoats, one died of hypothermia and two are still alive."

It's convenient to suggest that these results are to be expected - to just assume the deaths are a result of predation - after all, predation is big business. The problem is, the birds are also dying after "successful" poisoning operations, and are being sent to the front-line to test the effectiveness of the poisoning operations.

So what determines whether a poison operation is successful or not, and how long does the full benefit of an aerial knock-down last? A successful drop may mean killing rats and possums, but the real predator, the stoat, appears to be largely unaffected - and he's switching his prey. Murphy et al produced this paper .... CHANGE IN DIET OF STOATS FOLLOWING POISONING OF RATS IN A NEW ZEALAND FOREST The researchers found that ... Although rats were the main prey item of stoats before the poisoning, stoat abundance was unaffected by the operation and there was a change in stoats' diet from rats to birds.

If aerial operations are "very effective" at killing pests, why are so many birds being fitted with radio-tags and effectively, being sent to the front-line to determine if predators remain in the drop-zone?

The number of radio-tagged birds that are assumed to have died by predation, is high.

If birds are declared to have been killed by a predator in poison operational areas, they are overlooked for testing for 1080 poison residues. Not surprisingly then, between 1999 and 2007, only one kiwi was tested for 1080 residues (revealed under the Official Information Act).

Documentation suggests hundreds of kiwi have died within this period. Why has only one bird been tested for 1080 poison residues? Surely, all native species found dead in poisoned areas should be tested, even where bait-stations are used?

In 2008 an endangered takahe died at Mt Bruce, and the following month 4 adult kiwi died at Mt Bruce. The cause of the 4 kiwi deaths was deemed to be predation.

It wasn't to be the last time there was a predator attack at the heavily bait-stationed Mt Bruce. 12 kiwi died there last year. Of the 12 birds found dead, within the 4 week period, none were tested for poison residues. The cause of death was determined to be predation. It was reported that 2 ferrets managed to cover 950 hectares, to hunt down the 12 kiwi. Impressive.

DoC state that adult kiwi can fend off predators. An OIA request revealed that 10 of the 12 dead kiwi at Mt Bruce were adult birds, in good condition..

More recently, 6 Kaka died at Mt Bruce. Surprisingly, 3 were tested and found to have died from eating poison bait. Not surprisingly, all our curious, endemic parrots - kaka, kea, and kakariki - are attracted to poisonous bait, and have been found dead with poison residues in their carcasses.

After the kaka deaths a news item stated "The kaka were eating the cereal pellets containing the poison and Mr Lester (DoC) said staff immediately began adding metal plates to the 1200 bait stations within the reserve to stop the birds getting into the plastic containers."

The decision to test these birds was a good one. It proved that kaka are prone to eating poisonous food and will even break into bait stations to access it. It is not unreasonable to suggest that when poisonous food is dropped from helicopters, as in the recent Project Kaka, in the Tararua Forest Park, that the birds will eat the toxic bait that's supposed to protect them. Especially when it's dropped into their nests.

We have filmed the impacts of poison drops, right across the country. We have found plenty of evidence of dead birds that have been scavenged. I suggest that if stoats are being poisoned in aerial operations, it is because they are predating on birds dying from 1080 poisoning and, or, scavenging on birds that have died from 1080 poisoning.

However, research suggests that stoat populations are not affected in poison drops.

Murphy et al found that ... Overall, rats and invertebrates were major components of stoat diet, occurring in 40.8% and 52.4% of guts respectively (Table 1). Mouse remains were found in 11.5% of guts. Lagomorphs and possums did not feature prominently in the diet. Bird remains were found in 19.3% of guts. Most of the bird remains that could be identified further were passerines, which occurred in 7.5% of guts (and included blackbirds Turdus merula and finches).

So is our willingness to sacrifice our native birds to measure predator populations, and the "success" of poisoning operations, something of the past?

It seems not. Just recently, 23 of 34 native Morepork (originally thought to be 31) died after being fitted with radio tracking equipment to determine the effects on the species after a 1080 poison operation in the Waitutu Valley, Fiordland.

And yesterday, we were informed that the Tongariro Forest is about to get another dosing of 1080 - 20,000 hectares! (Some of the excerpts above are from 10 year old research, from aerial poison drops in the Tongariro Forest). And to top it off, DoC are going to be presenting more young, radio-tagged kiwi to the predators to try to determine if the 1080 drops still aren't working.

DoC spokesperson Nick Poutu, in yesterday's news item, stated "the aerial bait drop was an important goal for DoC, reducing the rat numbers in the forest as well as reducing the ferret and stoat populations from secondary poisoning. These predators have been responsible for a great deal of the local kiwi population recently, with large numbers of monitored adult kiwi succumbing to ferrets in the last couple of years," Mr Poutu said.

He said DoC would be monitoring the survival of kiwi chicks after the bait drop to see if it gave them any respite from stoat predation."

This announcement by DoC yesterday, that "large numbers of monitored adult kiwi" are still being killed by predators, is more evidence that aerial poison drops clearly aren't working. DoC have been aerially poisoning the Tongariro Forest for decades. If aerial drops were working, these birds wouldn't be dying. All birds found dead in aerial drop-zones should be tested for poison residues.

We keep doing the same thing, year after year - and the results are the same - large numbers of dead, native birds, and no evidence of benefit. Research is important, but our willingness to use our native wildlife as bait - and our efforts to prove that the use of broad-spectrum, poison-laced food doesn't kill wildlife - needs to be stopped. It's time to stop risking our native wildlife to predation and poisoning operations, and to start targeting the pests in our forests, directly.

One of the most informative assembly of information and facts about aerial 1080 drops in New Zealand, in an easy to access medium, is the documentary Poisoning Paradise.

Science vs Truth & Courage

The following paper highlights the fact that being a scientist is much like being any other industry employee. You're restricted from speaking out, and to do so comes with clear penalties. This unwritten covenant is alive and well in New Zealand.  It seems truth is elusive, and something we should never expect ...
INTELLECTUAL SUPPRESSION

Why environmental scientists are afraid to speak out
BY BRIAN MARTIN
"Suppose that an environmental scientist uncovers a risk to the public or the environment, for example a hazardous chemical, unanticipated ecological destruction from a planned development, or a flaw in data presented in an environmental impact statement. What then? Surely this information, after verification, should be quickly communicated to responsible authorities so that appropriate action can be taken. But what if the 'responsible authorities' have different priorities - or even are responsible for the problem?..."To read more, click here 

To watch Poisoning Paradise, click the link below...

Snappy New Possum Trap Effective and Humane

Apart from the inclusion of the usual propaganda, this story is good news for the humane management of possums - (The propaganda ... "Possums damage native forests, spread bovine Tb among cattle and deer, and eat the eggs and chicks of native birds" - when, in fact, possums have done little harm to forests; cattle pass bovine tb (bovine tb is catle tb) to possums, and rarely; and it is extremely rare for possums to eat birds and birds' eggs)
Snappy New Possum Trap Effective and Humane

Watch Poisoning Paradise, free, online now, for a short period of time.  Click link below

18 of 31 radio-tagged owls found dead day before 1080 poison drop

On October the 3rd, 2010, 25,000 hectares of the Waitutu Forest, in the Fiordland National Park, was aerially poisoned with 1080.
The following comment was posted by a Department of Conservation employee on June 28, 2011, which was far more revealing than the official DoC declaration delivered last year (see below)...

The following information is from a study undertaken during the 2010 Waitutu 1080 operation. The report is in the process of peer review and publishing. Note that bad weather killed 18 ruru (Owl) before the operation and the one that died after the operation was found cached underground by a predator and it tested clear of 1080.

Of the 31 radio-tagged ruru known to be alive at the beginning of August, transmitters belonging to 18 of these birds were discovered in mortality mode during an aerial status check immediately prior (3 Oct 2010) to the distribution of toxic baits (4 Oct 2010). Ground-based checks of these birds commencing 4 October confirmed that all of these birds were dead and had been for some days (≥10 days). Of the remaining 13 radio-tagged ruru, two transmitters appeared to have failed (intermittent or no detectable signal) leaving 11 radio-tagged ruru known to be alive or detectable within the operational area when 1080 baits were distributed. One of these 11 birds died within three days of toxic bait application. This bird was found cached underground but recovered intact (8 Oct 2010) and subsequently autopsied (Massey School of Veterinary Science) and tested for 1080 residues (CENTOX). No traces of 1080 were found.

For 18 of 31 radio tagged, native owls (Ruru - Maori) to die just prior to an aerial 1080 poison operation, in terrain that is easily traversable, is very disturbing.

Today I talked to Ross Campbell, owl expert, and owner of the famed OWLCATRAZ  tourist park.

I asked him about the Ruru. Ross stated that Ruru are very resilient in winter weather, and when I mentioned that 18 tagged birds reportedly died recently, in bad weather, he said he'd be surprised if even one had.

Ross went on to say that the Ruru lives up to 80 years, that they're bad breeders, and poor parents.

He pointed out that if Ruru are dying in large numbers, it could take a thousand years for the population to recover. He went on to say that when aerial operations were conducted in the Tararua Forest Park, he observed the native owl population slump by two thirds.

If the Department of Conservation managed to find 31 Ruru to tag, prior to this operation, the population was probably in good order, despite weather conditions over the last 1000 years!

However, in their summary of the poison drop, lats year, DoC stated ... "Local birdlife was monitored both before and after the operation including, tomtits, grey warblers, rifleman, mohua, kaka and ruru. No birds were found to have been killed by the poison, including 15 kaka and 11 ruru/morepork which were monitored. There was no detectable reduction in bird numbers as a result of the operation, and it is clearly evident that bird numbers are now on the increase due to the reduction in predators." 

The Department of Conservation stated they had only monitored 11 morepork in the statement above. However, at least 31 birds were radio tagged, and recovery of the dead - missing birds, didn't begin until after the drop had begun. Although weather is blamed for the deaths, a more likely cause is the radio tags interfering with the birds ability to move and hunt. 

It is common for radio tagged birds to die around 1080 poison drops. Often 50% mortality is observed.
These birds are rarely tested for poison residues - instead, their deaths are attributed to predation, and so testing is excluded.

1080 poison has no antidote, and causes secondary poisoning. Ruru have been found dead with 1080 residues in their carcasses before. The birds don't eat the baits directly, but target poisoned mice, small rats, insects, and even joey possums that leave the pouch after their mother eats the bait. The joeys receive the poison through their mother's milk, and can then poison the birds. Ruru are at high risk of poisoning in aerial operations, as are many other native species. To eliminate poisoning as a cause of death, even in scavenged birds, testing should be mandatory.

Due to the unusual nature of this event, I have submitted an Official Information Act request to the district office that managed this operation. I will post the result of that request when it is returned.

With increasing budgets, and the power that comes with those budgets, it's important that transparency is maintained within the public service, and that bureaucrats remain accountable to the public that fund them.  The Act requires a response within 20 days.

So what is the Official Information Act, and why is it important?

The Official Information Act was established in 1982. 

The purpose of the law is to: increase the availability of official information to promote more effective public participation in the making and administration of laws and policies.
Click here to view Poisoning Paradise ... 

Playing Politics With Poison Policy

The following story was printed in Hamilton News, yesterday, and is a summary of the recent PCE report...

Playing Politics With Poison Policy

BY GEOFFREY and REIHANA ROBINSON

In true Orwellian fashion, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment has manufactured a faith-based pitch for saving New Zealand wildlife by expanded poisoning of our fragile bush ecosystems.

Billed as an “independent investigation”, the report by Jan Wright is an unapologetically political document designed to head off potential legislative controls or a parliamentary moratorium on use of supertoxin 1080.  With a $100m pest control industry under fire, Wright produced a lightweight document that is stunning for its lack of factual substance, its booster tone, and dismissive attitude toward those who disagree.

And it’s easy to see why the current PCE belched up the government line on 1080 policy.   Wright, a career policy analyst and consultant, is the consummate Wellington political insider, with past board positions at Transit NZ, ACC, and Land Transport NZ.   As for her advertised “independence” on the issue of 1080, one of Wright’s former clients was none other than the pro-1080 Environmental Risk Management Authority. 

The report lacks any new information but is most notable for what it fails to consider.  Wright refused to consider Maori cultural impacts, views of local communities, accidents and specifics of operations. 

The report makes numerous unsubstantiated claims giving the misleading impression her conclusions are fact-based.   After carefully referencing a single study on kiwi populations, for example, she makes a highly emotional warning that six vastly different species of native birds “will almost certainly disappear”.  In actual fact, there is nothing cited in the scientific literature to back up her assertion.

Even worse, Wright’s “Forests Under Attack” scare section features major factual error.  She highlights tui and bellbirds (korimako) as examples of native species certain to “decline further”.  However, a close reading of the 2010 Journal of Ecology predation study Wright uses to buttress her 1080 sales pitch reveals both tui and bellbirds are actually expanding their range across New Zealand and are not classified as threatened to any degree whatsoever.   She warns of “loss or decline” of these seed-dispersing species and “cascading ecological changes in native forests”, but the hard published data shows the exact opposite trend for these species.  It appears Wright has not read her own sources.

Furthermore, much of the so-called “science” and “research” upon which the PCE bases her opinions has been produced by individuals with direct or indirect financial and career relationships to DOC, tainting their findings with the potential for bias.

Readers searching the report for any new evidence to support her wacky conclusions find it’s simply not there.  Despite growing scientific opinion opposed to current 1080 policy, Wright ducks the issue, stating there simply are no good arguments against.   She makes an absurd claim that 1080 “scores surprisingly well” on humaneness. She ignores well-documented, disastrous explosions in rat populations after 1080 drops. She fails to seriously address rural community concerns.

The report is astounding in its failure to acknowledge well-established dangers of 1080.  Even the 2007 ERMA report concluded that the effect on non-target animals exposed to 1080 is significantly adverse.  A 2007 Landcare Research summary of 1080 possum and rat control warns of “negative long-terms consequences for robins and ground invertebrates.”  Wright’s report flies in the face of recommendations by the Nature Conservation Council and distinguished former PCE Helen Hughes.

 

As seen from popular destinations like the Coromandel, Wright is a one-woman wrecking crew for the multi-billion dollar tourism industry, as disillusioned tourists increasingly attack New Zealand’s fraudulent green branding.  Export industries from shellfish to timber to fur to meat face potential catastrophic losses as well.  But the PCE report fails to figure that in.

Opposition to 1080 continues to mount.   Regional councils and DOC are under increasing pressure from an informed public.  Despite a born-again pitch from PCE Jan Wright, the tide of public opinion can’t be stemmed.  Decades of 1080 drops with no net ecosystem benefit have simply poisoned the well.
Ends.

For a short time, view the multi-award winning Poisoning Paradise documentary - click link below