Department of Conservation reports of a rat explosion in the Northern Ruahine Ranges defy credibility and show the department was “out of its depth” in wilderness management according to a sporting hunters’ organisation.
From Council of Outdoor Recreation Associations of NZ Inc
Via Pam Vernon at Envirowatch Rangitikei
Laurie Collins spokesman for the Sporting Hunters Conservation Outdoor Trust (SCHOT) said research had shown that following aerial drops of 1080 poison, the 20 percent surviving rats with much reduced food competition exploded in numbers. He cited Ruscoe’s research in 2008 “Interaction of Mammalian Pest Populations following Control” that showed rats recover quickly and increase quickly so within 18 months rat numbers would be two to three times greater than before poisoning operations.
“What has happened was entirely predictable based on research. There was a 1080 drop in 2017 in the Northern Ruahines and that’s exactly what is happening now, thanks to DOC’s 1080 drop in 2017,” said Laurie Collins of Westport, who worked on the first use of 1080 in New Zealand and in subsequent pest work.
“DOC had admitted as much by its own recent monitoring but doesn’t comprehend why.” READ MORE
