The bait pellets are made up of cereal and a small compound of 1080 which is toxic to mammals. Photo / File
The bait pellets are made up of cereal and a small compound of 1080 which is toxic to mammals. Photo / File
The death of five animals in September and October linked to the use of 1080 has sparked an internal investigation at the Northland Regional Council to revise its pest control operations.
Three dogs and two cows died after accidentally eating pesticide 1080 that was used as part of two separatecommunity-led operations in Tanekaha and Hukerenui.
While council's deputy chief executive and group manager for environmental services Bruce Howse described the cases as "unfortunate and highly regrettable", he said the pest control operations enjoyed good support from their local communities.
"Both incidents have been very carefully investigated, and the lessons learned will be incorporated into any future operations using 1080, which remains an essential tool of our pest control toolbox."
Howse said the investigations found the heifers' deaths, in particular, were an unfortunate series of events, which could have potentially been avoided.
Bait traps are set in the Tanekaha Community Pest Control Area (CPCA) west of Hikurangi to protect the high population of North Island brown kiwi there.
According to the council, the two heifers ate leftover material in bait stations after finding their way through 'deteriorated' fencing in late September.
The group had reportedly carried out three previous operations since 2012, none of which had experienced any issues.
Only a few weeks after the Tanekaha incident, a Labrador and a German shepherd scavenged the carcass of a possum in a paddock that had been killed in a similar operation by the Hukerenui CPCA which only started baiting in April this year.
The third pet dog is believed to have died after eating vomit of the first two.
Howse said the council was sorry for the associated distress the animals' owners had experienced and had given them an assurance the incidents were being treated very seriously.
Council informed the Northern Advocate that neither animal owner wished to be identified or contacted.
Both control operations involving 1080 were jointly managed by the local community groups and the regional council who have since launched an investigation to avoid similar incidents.
1080 bait is often dropped from helicopters as part of aerial operations and is toxic to mammals. Photo / File
Beverley Gott from Pataua North who lost her dog last year after it ate from a bait station on the way to the beach said she wasn't surprised to hear of the dead animals.
Gott said despite being vigilant and keeping her dog on a leash, she wasn't able to protect him and she described his death as traumatising.
"I'm so tired of this mentally of what they call conservation work. Nobody is overseeing what these groups do, they ignore any recommendations around the poison and there is no antidote."
Gott said that she had talked to other residents from the Hukerenui area who believe their dog, too, died after consuming 1080.
While council works with 68 CPCAs mobilising more than 1000 people across the region, not all Northlanders are on board with the use of the controversial poison.
Last year, protesters voiced their concerns after the Department of Conservation dropped 1080 from helicopters over Rakaumangmanga/Cape Brett and Russell Forest.
In other parts of the country, DoC staff are being abused by 1080 opponents who share photographs and personal details of workers online.
One person said on social media that they compiled a "hit list" of DoC staff.
Earlier this year, the SPCA publicly called for a 1080 ban saying it caused "intense, prolonged suffering to animals".
Northland's CPCA groups and regional council plan to improve their 1080 operation procedures after the two incidents meaning groups will have to lay out a detailed project, risk assessment and communications plan before baiting.
"Community Pest Control Areas are useful and productive partnerships between the regional council and community groups interested in restoring Northland's unique environment," Howse said.
He said the operation areas were in parts of Northland that the communities had identified as worth protecting.
"[T]he primary focus ... is control of animal pests like rodents, possums and mustelids to preserve wildlife – particularly kiwi – in those areas."
1080
Pellets are made of 0.15 per cent of 1080, cereal, glucose, cinnamon and green dye to discourage birds from eating it
1080 is highly water soluble and hasn't been found in human drinking supplies
Aerial 1080 operations helped the kokako population to grow by 700 per cent
Ground-based operations are orchestrated in easy accessible areas but are considered less practical and effective than aerial drops
A standard aerial operation uses between 1.5 and 3kg of 1080 bait per hectare
The 68 CPCA groups in Northland cover an area of 120,000ha
