ABE THEY DOOMED?

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 242, 11 September 1929, Page 2

ABE THEY DOOMED?

NEW ZEALAND FORESTS. ACCLIMATISATION EVILS. NEED FOR CONTROL. No. 4. (By E. E. Muir.) It is a curious reflection on our national mentality that while much has been heard of the folly—and quite rightly so—of planting heather in the Tongariro National Park, few voices of protest have yet been raised against the introduction of moose and wapiti into the West Coast Sounds district, the most enchanting heritage of the purest loveliness that any country possesses, the home of magnificent forests, which make it so beautiful, and of our glorious native birds. Yet this was actually done by the State, and, of all Departments of §tate, by the Tourist Department! Not satisfied with previous failures at establishing moose and wapiti in New Zealand the Tourist Department obtained ten wapiti (3 bucks and 7 does) the present of President Roosevelt, in 1905. and released them at the head of George Sound. In 1921 it was gratifvingly reported that these had become well established in the neighbourhood of the Sound, and that in April of that year they had crossed over into the Lake Te Anau district. Again, in 1910, ton moose were liberated on the shores of Dusky Sound, and in February, 1921, these deer were found to be in considerable numbers round the sound. Since then both these moose and wapiti herds have been rigidly protected, and have gone on increasing rapidly.

MENACE IN WEST COAST SOUNDS. In the light of the really grave menace now couirontmg New Zealand on account of the enormous increase and spread of red and fallow deer, and remembering that, according to Lydekker, moose and wapiti are more prolific, the official pronouncement made only a few days ago with regard to the issue of licenses for the shooting of moose and wapiti will be re-examin-ed with not a little interest. It was to the elfect that for shooting wapiti the number of licenses to be granted this year would be the same as last year (three blocks with two licenses each, with the right to take two heads for each license) ; that this year nothing less than 12-pointers may be taken as against down to 10-pointers last year; that licensees “be requested” to shoot two cows; and that, until it has been prospected, no fee be charged for a prospecting block reached from the north arm of Te Anau. For the shooting of moose the granting of only two licenses is favoured, and the fee is expected to be about £3O! So rigidly is a growing menace to an unrivalled scenic resort protected! In his recent account of the shooting of the first moose in New Zealand, Mr E. J. Herrieker stated that he found one “valley much eaten out by moose.” In view of what is happening through red and fallow deer elsewhere the question may now well be asked whether this experience is to be repeated with moote and wapiti in the Sounds district and New Zealanders will be left bitterly to lament the pursuance of such a policy. STEWART ISLAND SCENERY ENDANGERED. For the undoubted successful ortaolislnnent o f these huge American deer Jr. tho Wert Least ’Sounds district—moose (the iurgesr oi dc^i) and wapiti (tile next largest) ranking after the elephant among the world s largest animals—the tourist Department must, of course, get the credit. It is its due because it was responsible for the release of these North American monarchs in New Zealand’s forests, which were designed to be free from tlie depredations of all terrestial mammals; but in wild life matters this, unfortunately, is not its only claim to distinction. According to that most valuable work, “The Naturalisation of Plants and Animals in New Zealand,” by Hon. G. M. Thomson, the Tourist Department liberated nine Virginian deer (two stags and seven hinds) during 1905 in Stewart Island, a sanctuary for our native birds, and a scenic resort of unsurpassed loveliness. During the past few years reports have been coming to hand of the remarkable increases of deer in this scenic paradise, and of the destruction of tho forest, its greatest charm. This year these, reports have been more pronounced than ever, one recent statement being to the effect that the Virginian deer were increasing twice as fast as the red deer. Reference to Lydekker’s work furnishes the explanation. He states that with this variety of deer “two fawns are the normal number at a birth and one the exception.” They may thus be classed as truly “100 per cent. American”— American not only in origin, but reproducing their kind at a rate approaching 100 per cent, per annum ! They are, in fact, the most prolific deer in the world. It is therefore instructive to note that since culling was officially inaugurated in 1923-24 a total of £657 4s has been paid for culling deer at 2s per tail in the whole of the Southland Acclimatisation District, and that of this amout £427 16s was expended last year. This represents only 6572 head of deer. Allowing 3500 additional paid for at Is per tail, this make 10,000 culled and paid for during the six-year period, and when this is doubled, in order to allow for cullings not paid for, the total is only swelled to 20,000 for the whole of the Southland district, which includes Stewart Island. Under these circumstances, and, after allowing a fair percentage for death from natural causes, it becomes quite an interesting mathematical problem to calculate the number of Virginian deer there must be on Stewart Island to-day. Let any reader attempt it, and he will find that he will' not care to show his figures even to his friends. CONCENTRATION ON KILLING KEAS. -

It is significant regarding the state of public opinion on this extremely important question of the menace of deer in this country that, whereas the State has paid £7259 at 5s per beak since 1919 for the destruction of keas anywhere on the ground that a few keas are sheep-killers, only £4821 7s has been expended for the culling of deer at 2s and Is per tail. Indeed, the State has even been paying this subsidy of 5s per beak for keas killed in districts where there are no sheep, have never been any sheep, and can never be any sheep. Now this subsidy has been reduced to 2s 6d per beak, and though the Treasury is seriously embarrassed for money it is proposed to go on paying this amount irrespective of wlietTier tho keas, so slaughtered, are killers or not, and of whether they oome from sheep country or otherwise. On the other hand, for a menace which is of the most serious national import, and which far, far transcends that of the loss occasioned by a few sheep-killing keas, the State at present can only see its way to pay 2s and Is per tail for the culling of deer! Yet there are wealthy sheep-owners who admit that they pay as much as 10s per beak for keas and can afford to do so. When this is the case, and when the country is so pressed for money that it has to impose fresh taxation to meet requirements, would it not be infinitely wiser to spend the kea bonus in helping to cope with the deer which have now become so serious a menace

all over the country? Ordinary wisdom and policy would seem to say so, especially when wealthy runholders, whose Hocks are affected, can afford to pay as much as 10s per beak for keas. in the meantime, while the State has been paying £7259 for the extermination of keas as against only £4821 7s for the culling of deer, the latter have gone on increasing from 300,000 in 1922 to 1,169,000 at the present date! ANGORA AND CHINCHILLA RABBITS. These, however, are only a few M tho issues requiring a revision of policy, and, in some cases, immediate ami rigorous action. There are, unfortunately, a good many others. New Zealand introduced rabbits which became a pest, and then imported stoats and weasels to keep the rabbits down. “Now,” says Mr Edgar F. Stead, the well-known Christchurch naturalist, “black rats and stoats exist here in millions.” Not content with any of these lessons, the country lias lately taken to importing Angora and chinchilla railbits. A deputation which waited upon a member of the Cabinet in Auckland recently, requesting a subsidy towards the support of this “new industry,” stated that tho 900 of these rabbits imported last year now total 10,000! What provision, beyond the mere existence of paper regulations, exists for preventing Angora and chinchilla rabbits from spreading all over the country? Lydekker is authority for the statement that a single pair of rabbits under favourable conditions, will have a progeny numbering 13,715,000 within three years. Other issues that sooner or later will require th« most serious consideration, and real remedial action relate to imported birds, noxious weeds, and plants. From noxious weeds, and plants, notably blackberry, ragwort and thistles, the country is notoriously suffering great losses, many thousands of acres of first and second-class land being rendered unproductive on that account. As for imported birds there is now a steadily-increasing demand for the extermination of German owls, which were introduced into Otago to keep down the sparrows, which were raiding the grain crops. Instead, the German owls preferred fantails and tom-tits, two of our best insect eaters, and in some localities have cleaned them right out. Also the starlings, imported to cope with insect pests are now being placed on the doubtful list, owing to their truly stupendous rate of increase, their flocking and moving together in small clouds, and their depredations on orchards and grain crops. NEED FOR BOARD OF CONTROL. Enough has been shown, surely, to warrant the most searching inquiry by a competent body into all these matters, to require the most rigorous and comprehensive action for dealing with some of ihem, and to point to the necessity for the creation of an expert board of control whose task it should be not only to have the determining voice regarding all future acclimatisation efforts in New Zealand, but also to deal with all existing pests and prevent them from becoming a menace to the country. The need for such effective action is manifest. The writer has presented the case. YVhat has the country got to pay?