Thread: Arapawa Ram

This is them, interesting read. got my numbers wrong however,


Feral Sheep in New Zealand

A. Hawkes Bay

At present there are two distinct flocks of feral sheep - one in the north-eastern Ruahines and the other on the Mohaka River. The first of these, referred to as the Omahaki flock, occurs around the confluence of the Ngaruroro and Taruarau Rivers in the Eastern Ruahine State Forest and on Big Hill and Omahaki stations. It is spread over an area of approximately 7000 ha of scrubland, screes and bluffs. Population estimates vary widely but there appear to be several hundred animals. The origin of this flock is uncertain though they are known to have been living in a feral state for over 50 years. They would constitute the last part of the much larger feral flock that probably had its beginning in the merino sheep that were grazed on the open tops of the Ruahines last century. As recently as fifteen years ago feral sheep were known from six different Ruahine catchments (Cunningham 1962) but they have now been reduced to this one area in the northeast. Official shooting, aimed at reducing the browsing pressure on unstable country, reveals tallies which have dropped in the last decade from 300/annum to about 40/annum at present (A. N. Gilmore, in litt. 6.VI. 1975).

The Mohaka flock comprises several groups which may or may not be discrete. All are on or near the banks of the Mohaka river between the Te Hoe and Waipunga Rivers, behind Tutira. All in all there appear to be less than 1000 sheep spread over an area greater than 30 000 ha. Numbers in this area are apparently diminishing but the reason is not official control so much as habitat destruction - the land is being developed for farming. In one area where only six years ago it was possible to see mobs of 10-12, feral sheep are now 'rare' (A. N. Gilmore, in litt. 6.VI.1975). The origins of the Mohaka flocks are also unknown but their age is probably similar to that of the Omahaki flock. It is interesting to note they exist in roughly the same area from which Guthrie-Smith (1953) described feral merinos in the l880s. Certainly in this area the change from merinos to longwools was virtually complete by 1900 so this presumably provides an indication of age.