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Environmentalists fear hundreds of birds may have been killed in a 1080 drop in Otago but Department of Conservation (DOC) staff say no such conclusion can be made.
On Monday DOC announced six of 12 monitored kea in the Matukituki Valley, near Wānaka, died following an aerial 1080 predator control operation.
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Predators will be eliminated from a second block on the West Coast and the land defended from new predators without the use of fences.
There is more good news about the number of whio or blue ducks living in Fiordland, after a possible record number were found on another tributary of the Dart River.
Department of Conservation contractor Paul Van Klink and his conservation dog Hoki conducted a survey of whio on the Routeburn a week ago. An aerial 1080 operation in Egmont National Park took a big toll on rat and possum numbers, results from monitoring stations showed.
But the June operation, carried out by the Department of Conservation, also caused the death of one of the 20 rare whio which are monitored in the national park. Native bird populations could be completely wiped out in some areas hit by this year's mega mast.
It's set to be the biggest seeding event in more than 40 years, but half-a-million hectares of forest will receive no 1080 predator control. The Department of Conservation says a recent 1080 drop in Fiordland was to curtail an exploding rat and stoat population.
The department dropped 1080 in the Arthur Cleddau area and Bowen catchment area on Tuesday. Scientists have begun investigating how to wipe out the last surviving pests in New Zealand's bold bid to rid itself of rats, stoats and possums by 2050.
A new $7.5 million programme, led by Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research scientists, aims to overcome what's long been a headache for predator-busting efforts – how to eliminate that final 5 per cent which manage to hang on. After a court battle and a controversial 1080 drop last year, Kōkako’s haunting calls are returning to Hunua Ranges
Normally the fight to keep Hunua's kōkako alive is waged in native bush. Last year its fate was fought for in an Auckland courtroom. The rat population in a piece of pristine bush has exploded thanks to a plethora of beech tree seeds, forcing the Department of Conservation to make a 1080 drop.
But the glut of food means it can be difficult to get rats to eat the poison. The Department of Conservation is concerned after a higher percentage of rats than expected have survived the first 1080 drops intended to battle this years "mega mast".
This year's build-up of the rat population in New Zealand forests can be attributed to unusually high seed production, called a mast, experts have said. |
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