Thread: Decades of 1080….before and after

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

continual drops are very injurious to birds and invertebrates.

But not as continual as predation.
But I guess that is part of the complexity of this debate as sometimes the driver is TB control and sometimes it is conservation.
My overriding opinion is that if aerial poisoning are too injurious to a block of land, then bird/wildlife sanctuaries wouldn’t work and thrive like they do.
Blue ducks aren’t thriving in the Able Tasman at the moment through natural processes..

Originally Posted by Moutere

But not as continual as predation.
But I guess that is part of the complexity of this debate as sometimes the driver is TB control and sometimes it is conservation.
My overriding opinion is that if aerial poisoning are too injurious to a block of land, then bird/wildlife sanctuaries wouldn’t work and thrive like they do.
Blue ducks aren’t thriving in the Able Tasman at the moment through natural processes..

Where are the sanctuaries ( with good expanding bird populations ) that get aerial poisoning all the time ?

Where are the areas immune to declining native species without poisoning?

You know as well as I do there is no point in repeat poisoning if there are no predators.

Originally Posted by Woody

Take $65 per ha off the aerial poison indistry and offer it to ground based and see what happens. Money talks. E.g. The deer wars. Enterprising businesses and people might surprise the currrent thinking.

How would you put and individual or crew into the Karamea bend, mobilise and sustain the operation for $65/ Ha?

I dont know the Karamea bend so cant comment on that specific. Looking back over my 60 years as an adult I see patterns of historical devolution of wild animal control and the factors influencing that. Amongst those devolvements are human and bureaucratic and fiscal influences particularly from officialdom which imo restricted much in the way of innovation characterised by other private enterprise. Self sustaning bureaucracies. I think without the use by official bureaucrats of the jaw breaker bits preventing funding of free enterprise to address the issues sensibly we would today be seeing a vastly more efficient management of both game animals and pests.

Originally Posted by Moutere

How would you put and individual or crew into the Karamea bend, mobilise and sustain the operation for $65/ Ha?

What is the poison drop frequency / return ?

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

What is the poison drop frequency / return ?

Wouldn’t have a clue, hazard a guess at 4 or five years?

Amusing ay. I can recall DoC and AHB Assurring the ERMA review of 1080 (2007) that frequency would ot need to exceed once in 7 years. They spun it big time.

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

Where are the sanctuaries ( with good expanding bird populations ) that get aerial poisoning all the time ?

MH, continued aerial poisoning is not really how the sanctuary model works.

They tend to do initial aerial drops to eradicate pest species within a fenced off area, and then go into a "maintenance mode" where the emphasis is more on tracking tunnels, regular sweeps with mustelid detection dogs and monitoring of the bird population to identify any incursions. Obviously a lot of work on the sidelines to maintain and check fences etc.

Some of the older sanctuaries (Karori) had fences where the mesh design allowed juvenile mice to enter. In those sanctuaries there is a yearly ground based bait operation (Brodifacoum ?) to deal with mice.

I am not aware of any of the fenced sanctuaries that continue with aerial poisoning once the initial pest knock-down is done.

The expanding bird population at places like Zealandia, Pukaha, Maungatauteri and Orokonui is well documented.

We need to release more Lions and Tigers. That would take care of the pesty Deer. (and poachers) when the deer are gone the rats and possums would be next.

Cougars could be interesting

We have cougars already @Woody, in some of the pubs usually is where they hide at night....very predatory too!

Set them loose bro ! Just train em not to eat carrots.

Having been involved with the Nelson sanctuary since my wife was their first ever paid employee, they did an initial drop of Brodificum as soon as possible after the fence was finished and then a second drop a few weeks later. It should never need doing again as if they have a breach of the monitored fence they rapidly initiate a trapping and monitoring plan in the localised area.

Originally Posted by ebf

MH, continued aerial poisoning is not really how the sanctuary model works.

They tend to do initial aerial drops to eradicate pest species within a fenced off area, and then go into a "maintenance mode" where the emphasis is more on tracking tunnels, regular sweeps with mustelid detection dogs and monitoring of the bird population to identify any incursions. Obviously a lot of work on the sidelines to maintain and check fences etc.

Some of the older sanctuaries (Karori) had fences where the mesh design allowed juvenile mice to enter. In those sanctuaries there is a yearly ground based bait operation (Brodifacoum ?) to deal with mice.

I am not aware of any of the fenced sanctuaries that continue with aerial poisoning once the initial pest knock-down is done.

The expanding bird population at places like Zealandia, Pukaha, Maungatauteri and Orokonui is well documented.

I have nothing but admiration for the fenced sanctuaries and no criticism at all. I think we are discussing the continued poisoning drops over open bush areas.