Thread: TB in possums - not many if any

Originally Posted by Tahr

Yes. I had a beef herd under TB movement control as did many others' in our area. Got a drought on top of the movement restrictions and I was praying for 1080 and a clean up of 'possums.
The ban 1080 brigade are in wonderland. Its emotional thinking.
Restrictions on 1080 I could agree with, but banning is bananas. At the very least until there is a viable alternative.

If you have had to deal with TB, one alive infected 'possum is one too many.

The people who arent on the ban 1080 brigade are in dreamland or working for the pro 1080 brigade. If people really think 1080 is about possum control you couldnt be fewer from the truth. Its BIG BUSINESS and back handers for the government. First it was the fight to control possums because of TB and eating the native.

30 years or so of bombing the place its getting very difficult to justiy using 1080 to kill fuck all possums with little evidence of TB. As its become such BIG business and more needs to be produced and used the possum has become the bird egg eating demon that needs to be stopped.
Government had to dream up something so the "Battle of the birds" Bs was dreamed up so they can justify not only the continue use of deadly 1080 but f king more. So its the rats and the stoats now that need the 1080 bomb, plus the few possums left to save the birds that 1080 by kill is harmless to (yeah right)
1080 as long as its making money is here to stay, and the government will dream up whatever it takes to keep it rolling along.
What gets me with they BS story about lets save the birds is this...
Firstly, years ago when i was pighunting everyweekend when there was untold possums around in the bush there were plenty of birds of all sorts around as well. 20 so years later theres fuck all possums around in the same areas but no more birds thn there was back then.
Secondly, 30 or so years of bombing the place with 1080 why hasnt the by kill controled rats and stoats?
If the rats and pests etc are out of control and a threat to birds which have lived with rats and stoats for untold years with no problems how comwe the drops over 30 years hasny done a thing?
Do they have to change the baits so its more suitable for rats and stoats so it works better?
If so how come they continue with baits designed still to kill possums and deer and pigs (which is the aim apart from the money) instead of the aim to kill rats as clearly 30 years of bombing the country has done nothing.
Its all BS and 1080 should be banned apart from the remote areas where we all know it works at least on possums.
Trapping and bait should be used in accessable areas but while 1080 is big business and making money its unlikely thats going to happen without a huge public backlash but theres many a brain dead people in this country that has fallen for the crap the government and DOC has feed them
?

Rats breed at astonishing rates. About a linear 10% population increase per month, so within 10-12 months the population is nearly back where it started. But that's a year with no rats...so that's good. Rats are the reason there's less birds now, not 1080.

Kj

I hate possums because of the amount of vegetation and bird egg and fledgelings they eat. TB is much less of a worry I reckon with regards to possum control

Sent from my workbench

Originally Posted by smidey

I hate possums because of the amount of vegetation and bird egg and fledgelings they eat. TB is much less of a worry I reckon with regards to possum control

Sent from my workbench

Have you seen them eating fledglings and eggs?

Originally Posted by kimjon

Rats breed at astonishing rates. About a linear 10% population increase per month, so within 10-12 months the population is nearly back where it started. But that's a year with no rats...so that's good. Rats are the reason there's less birds now, not 1080.

Kj

Kill 40% of a slow breeding native each drop and the predators are back in a year that's not difficult maths.

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Have you seen them eating fledglings and eggs?

not personally but have seen video and photographic evidence. do you think they don't?

http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/video/10117/eating-eggs

Originally Posted by smidey

http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/video/10117/eating-eggs

Photoshop
Its all part of the conspiracy.

Originally Posted by Tahr

Photoshop
Its all part of the conspiracy.

did they have photoshop in 1993?

Originally Posted by smidey

not personally but have seen video and photographic evidence. do you think they don't?

Its just that that is the only video I have seen and its 20 plus years old. logically it must be a freak occurrence caught on camera rather than commonplace or they would have miles of footage of them doing it.

i have seen a few different pics. i had never seen that info before googling just before when you questioned it.

you can't discredit it, there is hard evidence. to say it is a freak occurrence is silly i think. to capture it more would take the same effort that was put into that, monotoring a number of nests in a number of trees.

In 1993 evidence was first uncovered of the effect of possums on native wildlife. A time-lapse video camera captured possums eating the chicks and eggs of the endangered kōkako. Of 19 nests monitored over a four-year period, cameras recorded possums eating chicks and eggs in four. Possums had not been suspected in the past because they were considered vegetarian, and because it is hard to find traces of birds in possum faeces or intestines.

Since then, possums have been caught on film eating the eggs, chicks and even adults of other native bird species, including kererū, kiwi, harrier hawk, fantail, muttonbird, and tūī. This predatory behaviour has driven some species into decline.

In areas where possums are not controlled, few kōkako and kererū fledglings survive to adulthood. In a study in Pureora Forest in 1997, robins in an area treated with 1080 poison (used to kill possums) had 67% nesting success, compared with 30% in the area not treated. After a year, robin numbers had increased by 37% in the control area, compared with 16% outside.

this image sums it up well i think

A rat and a possum rading the same nest at the same time! Id call photoshop but that riskes being a kook

Does that possum

just look too much like Uncle Fester?

Better that than mortitia haha

Sent from my workbench