By PHILIP ENGLISH and NZPA
Dogs trained to hunt out possums will be taken to Kapiti Island this week as the Department of Conservation reacts to threats against the wildlife sanctuary.
A group calling itself the Biodiversity Action Group says it has released 11 possums on the predator-free island, home to
rare birds such as the takahe, little spotted kiwi and saddleback.
"I have let elevin [sic] opossums go on Kapiti. More to follow," said the letter, posted in Manawatu.
The group also claims to have spread thar, wallabies and fallow deer around New Zealand in an apparent campaign against plans to remove the pests.
The Minister of Conservation, Chris Carter, called the claimed release "gutless vandalism".
He said yesterday that the threats to release more pests in wildlife sanctuaries were nothing short of eco-terrorism.
DoC's Kapiti area manager, Ian Cooksley, said the search dogs were trained to find possums without disturbing other wildlife.
"You've got to treat it as being legitimate until you know otherwise, whether it's a hoax or not - until we know that, we've got to treat it very seriously," he said.
Access to the island was restricted, so the first sweep would concentrate on places easily accessible by boat.
Staff would also search for droppings, claw marks on trees, fur or evidence that plants had been eaten.
The presence of a small number of possums was not something that could be ascertained "in five minutes".
Kapiti has been clear of possums since 1986.
The Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society has received three anonymous letters from different parts of the country threatening to sabotage sanctuaries - including Kapiti - in the past few weeks. They have been handed to the police.
Forest and Bird conservation manager Eric Pyle said the letters raised opposition to the organisation's support for ridding forests of deer and alpine areas of thar, and for aerial 1080 poison drops targeting possums, rats and stoats.
"Some of these hunting people want to see our national parks run as big game parks or safari parks. I think most New Zealanders would consider that that is just not on."
Mr Pyle said if possum numbers on Kapiti Island took off, a big eradication effort would be required. In the meantime the possums would threaten a range of bird species.
"Clearly there is a lunatic element in the hunting fraternity that has no concern for New Zealand's natural heritage. This rogue element is even prepared to threaten kiwi, our national emblem."
Mr Pyle said aerial 1080 poison drops at the right time of year had been shown to kill high numbers of stoats, which were a leading predator of kiwi chicks. The stoats fed on the carcasses of possums and rats killed by the 1080.
"The hunting fraternity opposed to aerial 1080 could well be consigning our national emblem to the extinction dustbin on the mainland."
The national president of the Deerstalkers Association, Trevor Dyke, said the action group was doing a disservice to responsible hunters. Most would take a rational approach and write to their MP.
He had no idea who made up the action group but thought that at some time in the past it had taken "some action somewhere but it really didn't get off the ground".
Herald feature: Environment
By PHILIP ENGLISH and NZPA
Dogs trained to hunt out possums will be taken to Kapiti Island this week as the Department of Conservation reacts to threats against the wildlife sanctuary.
A group calling itself the Biodiversity Action Group says it has released 11 possums on the predator-free island, home to
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.