After a recent 1080 poison operation, dog owners are advised to use caution when walking dogs on the Hutt River and Wellington harbour beaches.

A recent possum control operation, undertaken in the Kaitoke Regional Park and Hutt River Catchment, may have led to carcasses washing downstream following a brief period of heavy rain.

Marlborough Express

A rat plague could be the end of the long-tailed bats native to the Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve, a conservation volunteer says.

Giant rats feeding on dropped seeds from the reserve's beech trees had caused an explosion in rat numbers threatening a population of tiny endangered bats roosting in the area.

It prompted Forest & Bird to roll out trapping and baiting of rats, stoats and possums this month to help protect bats.

The Southland Times

Rat numbers in Wakatipu areas hit by 1080 in late August have plummeted, the Department of Conservation says.

Yesterday, DOC said rat numbers had fallen to undetectable levels after a steady rise over winter.

"In the Dart Valley the number of monitoring traps detecting rats is now at just 1 per cent. This figure was 6 per cent in May, 13 per cent in July and without the 1080 operation the figure would have climbed even further."

Otago Daily Times

There has been a 20% increase in bird numbers on Otago Peninsula in areas where possum eradication work has been done.

Preliminary analysis of monitoring data collected by the Otago Peninsula Biodiversity Group and University of Otago ecology students has confirmed what many residents believe - that bird numbers are increasing.

Botany department ecology senior teaching fellow Dr Haseeb Randhawa said students analysed the 25,000 bird observations recorded by the biodiversity group plus the monitoring work they did themselves.

TVNZ One News

National's new Conservation Minister says she "absolutely" supports the use of the controversial 1080 poison used to kill the predators of native birds.

Maggie Barry told TVNZ's Q and A programme the use of the poison was "essential" in areas such as Beech Mast and the Hunua Ranges.

The New Zealand Herald

Trout taken from catchments where 1080 poison has been dumped are safe to eat, the Ministry for Primary Industries says.

It says a preliminary food safety study it conducted using data gathered by researchers in Nelson "strongly indicates that consumption of wild trout caught from areas that have had 1080 applied will not pose a food safety risk to humans".

Manukau Courier

Auckland Council has approved the aerial use of 1080 in the Hunua Ranges.

The drops will begin in mid-2015 and will cover 1100 hectares, 6.5 per cent of the Ranges.

Helicopters will drop 5kg of pellets per hectare which contain a total of 7.5g of 1080.Councillors Cathy Casey and Mike Lee voted against the decision.The main reasons cited for the drops were to protect native birds such as kokako from stoats, rats and possums.

By Laura Mills, Greymouth Star

A planned 1080 drop in South Westland has been called off as there are not enough rats.

The Battle for our Birds -- to combat a pest plague triggered by a beech forest fruiting -- involves the largest ever pest control programme over a million hectares of conservation estate, including swathes of the West Coast.