By ROSALEEN MACBRAYNE
OPOTIKI - War is being waged against wild goats which are stripping forest floors bare in the Opotiki area.
In parts of the Waioweka gorge there is little or no vegetation where the animals have prevented regrowth by chewing up seedlings.
"They are fairly indiscriminate in what they eat and they do a lot of damage," said conservation officer Lindsay Wilson.
He said DoC staff were ridding specific areas of the pests, but the department was still developing a strategy to deal with the main mass of goats over 50,000ha between the Waioweka and Motu rivers.
Waioweka made good goat habitat because it was rocky and sunny.
A big concern was keeping the pesky creatures out of the huge Urewera national park. "There are small numbers near Lake Waikaremoana and we are putting a lot of effort into getting rid of those to make sure the national park is clear of goats," said Mr Wilson.
Recreational ground hunters and helicopter deer recovery operators were shooting some goats for DoC.
The price for goat meat, which has a huge market in Asian and Arab countries, was too low for profit, he said.
The Department of Conservation was trying to encourage better fencing of domestic goats near bush. The fast-growing wild population probably originated from farm escapers.
Wild goats make DoC gruff
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.