Thread: Poison drop delayed

If birds and eggs were a major part of possum diet there would be sfa birds left in OZ. Possum been there for millenia. Possum got sfa Tb over their either. Think on it.

No one is suggesting birds and eggs make up the majority of their diet.
That’s almost as absurd as claiming they’re not opportunistically omniverous at all.

Agreed. The fact is that birds fledgelings and eggs comprise a quite rare and very minor part of possum diet, if at all in most individuals, although the twig and tweeters tried hard along with DoC to promote photoshopped images deliberately rigged in order to sway public opinion towards a distortion of the truth. DoC even had very large posters and sign made with these images a few years ago. The effort being put toward open and transparent government via the State Service Commission will, I trust bring about correction to these practices that have been perpetrated onto a largely gullible general public and media by publicly funded spin doctors.

Originally Posted by Woody

Agreed. The fact is that birds fledgelings and eggs comprise a quite rare and very minor part of possum diet, if at all in most individuals, although the twig and tweeters tried hard along with DoC to promote photoshopped images deliberately rigged in order to sway public opinion towards a distortion of the truth. DoC even had very large posters and sign made with these images a few years ago. The effort being put toward open and transparent government via the State Service Commission will, I trust bring about correction to these practices that have been perpetrated onto a largely gullible general public and media by publicly funded spin doctors.

Quite right Woody. However the public now believe that possums are the main villain, a view that is fully entrenched. This is also so of the media. Tell people something for long enough and it becomes their truth.
There is a lot of money in fact close to $100 million collected from TB levies on slaughtered cattle and deer plus ratepayer contributions collected by Regional councils every year and that is a big pile of cash for someone to control and spend. The position of Doc regarding possums as a bird predator came later as we know following the 70 million possums are eating their way through x tonnes of forest each night, and that position was only taken to support TB free so that consent could be given to drop poison on crown Doc land.
With the spin and indoctrination that the public has absorbed to date I believe it is doubtful that public opinion can be changed. With the entrenched industry sucking on that annual 100 mil teat it is hard to change the Government position as well. I know, I have separately met with a past minister of Ag and two ministers of conservation. Regional Council executives etc etc.