We are heading to Westland this Sunday the 13th, to film the pending 80,000 hectare drop of Compound 1080 into the Westland National Park. We have been requested by residents of the area to film and produce a mini doco on the event. We will be covering the drop, and filming any evidence of harm. We will also be interviewing the local individuals, and presenting what they deem as the best way forward for the district, in regard to future wildlife management.
We are keen to hear from anyone with information on Kiwi, Kea or live stock deaths by 1080, or any other information that is deemed relevant. Thanks.
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Enjoy your time on the coast. I've just got back from ten days in South Westland. Spent time in the Paringa, Moeraki and Matakitaki areas that have had about 15 years of 1080 treatment. There were kea, kaka, morepork, falcon, kakariki, kereru and all the smaller bush birds throughout. The numbers of fantails was phenomenal.
ReplyDeleteWith the winter rata in full flower at the moment, the tui and bellbird were raucously energetic from when the sun hit the canopy until dusk, while the kea kept up their antics through the night. I found in a tree fern the largest tree weta I've ever seen on the mainland.
I find it difficult to square the life and vibrancy I saw in those South Westland forests with the claims that 1080 is death sentence for our precious wildlife. From what I saw, the claim "1080 kills everything" simply doesn't stack up.
We too have just returned from Westland, and visited all the places you mentioned, and more. It was very poor for bird life. And we spent time in the bush, off the beaten track. There were very few species of birds about. We heard one Kea, saw one falcon, and heard few morepork. We visited, 2 years ago - for 2 weeks, and 14 years ago also. And we were also filming both other times. There were alot more Kea, which we filmed, and many more Kea were heard, 14 years ago. We also visited the Landsborough, which had recently been 1080'd...again! Easy country, devatsed by poison. But it all amounts to hearsay, you say this, I say that - which is exactly what the pro-1080 camp depend on. There is NO proof of benefit from 1080, just hearsay! If you want to see bird life, and Rata, go to Lake Waikaremoana, Te Urewera National park, where there has never been 1080 spread across its forest. There you will see multiple species of birds, every hour, not once a week. In our opinion, and from filming Westland the last 14 years - 1080 has devasted Westland, and this latest drop will certainly do nothing to improve the decline in native species there.
ReplyDeleteThey're at it again!!!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.doc.govt.nz/conservation/land-and-freshwater/land/project-kaka-tararua-nature-recovery/
Trying to sell us on the idea that dropping 55 Tons of poison in the Tararuas is gooing to HELP the birds! What are they smoking?!?
Thanks Grafs for coming - those who live here know that vibrant birdlife is a thing of the past, many years past. We have lost and lost and lost and all in the name of protecting farmland. I have watched some news items showing 3 or 4 protesters - where is the honesty, most residents of this area were out in the middle of cold nights to stop these drops and many intended drop areas had to be abandoned until AHB found a willing or unwilling patsies to use to get them done. They have done irrevocable harm to our environment in an area where we all live downstream of a poison zone - New Zealander's are stupid, we will not send production forest trees to China if the area has been 1080'd but we expect our tax paying, hardworking rural people to be slathered with poison to meet some other agenda entirely than Tb eradication - only brought in infection reaches here - no possum to livestock transfer.
ReplyDeleteMight I add that film star of a couple of news bulletins, Lance Manera has actually been allowing wild deer into his deer herd to increase it, saying to me "It's no risk, no TB out there" Well risk or no risk this member of the AHB's TB Free Committee has been breaking his own rules and while knowing that there is no TB out there he happily lets his own paddocks be used for operational areas. He has no credability here, he has however been accredited to send beef to Japan, I wonder how they will feel when they realise that his deer and cattle have access to 1080 fragments, dust etc. Check it out readers and ask the questions yourself. He did not even protect his staff from fall out but kept them working while the helicopters were working in high wind.