by Frank Henry
The Department of Conservation in its haste to condemn deer has classed Stewart Island’s whitetail deer as a predators.
What’s more DoC claims that deer are predators is a fact.
On the department’s notification fact sheet for “protecting Pukunui/Southern New Zealand Dotterel with predator control in Rakuira National Park” it states “deer can consume eggs--key operators include feral cats, white-tailed deer, Australasian harriers, southern blackjacked gulls and spur winged plover.”
DoC’s fact sheet says “deer and spur-winged plover will be controlled with opportunistic ground-hunting-.”
The claim that deer are predators has a parallel in the claim by DoC that possums are predators of birds particularly eggs and fledglings in nests..
Possums are native to Australia and are protected there. Australia has amazing bird life both varieties and numbers.
Indeed research in New Zealand shows that possums as predators is a fallacy. However photographs of a possum raiding a bird’s nest exist. But in his excellent book “The Third Wave”, conservationist the late Bill Benfield wrote “there is strong evidence that recent images of possums eating fledgling thrushes are in fact contrived events for the camera.”
Another conservationist Ron Eddy of Nelson, spoke to a photographer involved with the images and established that allegedly the images were indeed “contrived.” Ron Eddy’s research featured several years ago in the Nelson-based “The Fishing Paper.”
What does science say?
In 2007 Landcare scientists Graham Nugent and Peter Sweetapple examined stomach contents of possums. There were no “meat or feathers.”
Another study by Landcare in 2004 in South Westland found “no trace of birds in the contents of 135 possum stomachs.”
The saying “repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth” is widely attributed to Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels, but in fact is probably from Adolf Hitler’s 1925 book Mein Kampf.
Hitler wrote that the masses are more likely to fall victim to a “big lie” than a small one because they would not believe someone could have the impudence to invent such a massive falsehood.
The fact is possums and deer are herbivores.
Bureaucrats will tell big fat fibs to justify their ill-conceived policies. It is anger provoking to think these evasions of truth are funded by my tax-payer money.
DOC doesn’t understand predator prey relationships. predators are part of Nature and the functioning of ecosystems with food chains. When bureaucrats interfere with mass eradication attempts, the food chain is disrupted to the point of chaos.
After a 1080 poison drop, surviving rats then with abundant food due to less mouths, hit high breeding gear. It’s Nature countering the big population drop. Nature counters back with a big kickback especially with fast breeding species like rats.
Eighteen months after the poison drop, rat populations have regained original pre-poison numbers. The momentum continues and three years later there’s three times moire rats. It’s there in Landcare scientific research. Read it DOC and learn of your chaotic ways using public money.
After several decades observing the behaviour of bureaucrats and politicians I sadly conclude that many – perhaps most – of them will toe any party line that promotes their careers.
Where is the political party or campaign group that will make the Swiss style binding referendum become a serious subject for public debate? Obviously the established politicians aren’t going to promote it since the thought of the public having a say in policy making is anathema to them.
NO ! STOATS are doing the MOST Predator damage in NZ How so ? By taking out our Native Birds on a HUGE scale, they are “stopping Pollination” of many Native Trees , also the spread of Native Forest seed ! ( that Birds like Native Pigeon crap out ) Stoats are a “Super Predator” and have destroyed more N.Z. Bush & Native Fauna , directly & indirectly than Feral Deer ever did, Deer numbers should be manged properly > But not with the very heavy handed OVER application of Poison !
Deer are predators? Do you need any more evidence that the DoC bureaucracy is an engine of propaganda, lies and stupidity? DoC must take us taxpayers for mugs. Time to “restructure” this idiot department and get rid of them for good.
Just more DoC bullshit I thought deer were browsers not predators.
Doc are addicted to the anti-introduced ideology.
But all humans are introduced by way of migration and as colonists. It’s okay to farm sheep, cattle etc., –and deer.
Time to overhaul DoC or get rid of the bad eggs-have a cull!