Forest and Bird wants a ban on keeping ferrets as pets after boat owners were discovered exercising five of them on a beach at Great Barrier Island - a haven for native birds.
The ferrets were with their owners on a cruise of the Hauraki Gulf and had been taken
ashore for a walk.
The island is a ferret-free haven for native birds and wildlife after a multimillion-dollar programme to eradicate imported exotic pests.
Karli Thomas, of the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society, said the incident showed why ferrets must not be kept as pets.
"If even one desexed pet ferret got loose on a conservation island it could be a 'ferret in the chicken coup' scenario - but it would not be chickens, it would be our endangered native birds," she said yesterday.
An Auckland Regional Council spokesman said on Monday that the owners had been spoken to and may be prosecuted.
A conviction could mean a maximum $100,000 fine or a jail term.
The Department of Conservation had undertaken public consultation on what to do about pet ferrets and the response was that 77 per cent of respondents supported a ban, Ms Thomas said.
Ferrets are a vicious predator of many native birds, particularly ground nesting species like brown teal penguins and kiwi. They also engage in "spree killing", where they slaughter more prey than they can eat.
- NZPA
nzherald.co.nz/environment
