Black swans are being shot in their hundreds as Canterbury farmers try to deter flocks munching through acres of valuable pasture.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of ravenous black swans are leaving their Lake Ellesmere home in search of food.
Brian Goddard, who grows pasture for silage at Motukarara, said the
black swan invasion was the worst he had seen in 30 years of farming.
"They're doing massive damage. There's thousands there. They pollute the pastures and they eat so much grass it is shocking."
One hundred and fifty black swans have been shot on his property and a scarecrow put up.
The Fish and Game Council said the invasion could be because of low water levels at Lake Ellesmere and a shortage of weed. It has issued permits for shooters to kill swans - not in numbers significant enough for culling, but to scare flocks off farmland.
Fish and Game officer Brian Ross urged farmers to act quickly because once swans became comfortable on a property they were difficult to shift.
Long-time Prices Valley farmer Albert Birdling blamed the council for not controlling numbers.
He said the council had been too restrictive on the number of black swans able to be shot during recent shooting seasons.
- NZPA
Herald Feature: Conservation and Environment
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