Hunters the hunted in Kapiti sabotage

By ANNE BESTON and NZPA

Police will question hunters in an effort to track down members of a fringe group threatening sabotage of key wildlife sanctuaries.

Senior Sergeant Tony Smith of Wellington said police were trying to identify the writer or writers of letters, one saying possums had been released on Kapiti Island and others threatening to release pests onto Codfish and Stewart Islands.

The islands are home to some of New Zealand's rarest species. Codfish Island, near Stewart Island, is home to New Zealand's endangered native parrot, the kakapo.

Mr Smith said people with "an interest in the situation" would be questioned.

As well as an anonymous letter to the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society claiming 11 possums had been released on Kapiti, a group called the Biodiversity Action Group sent a letter to the Department of Conservation in Southland late last year threatening to release stoats on to Codfish and Stewart Islands.

The group said it was taking the action because DoC, with support from Forest and Bird, was working to eradicate exotic introduced pests such as thar and wapiti from some areas. The species are popular recreational hunting targets.

DoC Wellington area manager Ian Cooksley said staff had begun searching for any sign that possums had been released on Kapiti but a thorough search of the 2000ha island would take time.

"We have been searching areas we can get to but they are not what we would call prime target areas, which are close to shore but out of sight."

Offenders faced fines of up to $50,000.

"I don't know how anyone could think this kind of thing would advance their cause," Mr Cooksley said.

A sniffer-dog team would be used to search for the possums but organising them was taking time, he said.

Hunting groups continued to distance themselves from the action group yesterday.

Lester Phelps, leader of the pro-hunting organisation Outdoor Recreation New Zealand, said releasing possums on to Kapiti was "absolute stupidity".

An executive member of the Deerstalkers Association in Southland, John De Lury, also condemned the threats. "It is illegal and does nobody any good."

But Fiordland Wapiti Foundation vice-president Ron Peacock said that while he would be surprised if any member of his organisation was involved, he was not surprised the threats had been made.

"They [DoC] are backing hunters into a corner. They are not listening to what the people are saying."

Conservation Minister Chris Carter urged people to dob in anyone who might have written the letters.

"I imagine the vast bulk of the hunting community is appalled at these threats," he said. "I am also asking them to help identify the perpetrators."

Everyone was hoping the action group's letters were a hoax but the threats were being taken seriously.

Herald feature: Environment