The Upper Coromandel Landcare Association (UCLA) has expressed strong opposition to a proposed aerial drop of 1080 poison over a large area of the Coromandel Peninsula in July of this year.
UCLA Spokesperson: Reihana Robinson said the Department of Conservation is locked into a poison regime using cruel poisons and ignoring humane trapping methods of killing.
“Again, our maunga Moehau is to be aerially poisoned. Again, the poison of choice is toxin 1080 leading to excruciating prolonged deaths for animals and birds,” she said. “New Zealand uses the bulk of this dangerous and cruel poison manufactured in Alabama USA. Australia and Israel were the only other countries using poison 1080 according to 2015 figures.”
Poison 1080 is designed to interrupt the Krebs cycle which affects all oxygen-breathing creatures, including birds such as ruru (morepork) and hawks that eat poisoned possums or rats.
Carcasses remain toxic.
“There is no data on how many kiwi are chronically maimed by consuming poisoned insects,” said Reihana Robinson.
The poison was originally developed as an insecticide and patented as such in the 1920s. Therefore insects – vital to the ecosystem’s functioning – are poisoned. Insectivorous birds such as fantails, tomtits and bush robins are poisoned by “secondary poisoning” as they eat slowly dying insects.
With the millions spent on aerial operations many locals could have been employed checking rat, stoat and possum traps on the Moehau tracks said Reihana Robinson.
Wild pigs cannot be hunted for meat for the table as they eat poisoned possums.
“So, our whanau miss out. Kai that is readily available to hunters and trappers is to halt – and wild pigs to die a gruesome death and be left to rot,” said Reihana Robinson.
Footnote: A very recent report from the U.S. said a fire broke out at an Oxford, Alabama, chemical company that manufactures 1080 poison. The facility “suffered a total loss—-Tull Chemical Company produces Compound 1080, a deadly chemical, only sold overseas and not allowed for sale in the U.S. The compound ended up only sold in Australia and New Zealand and Israel —The majority of the chemical ends up shipped to New Zealand.”
This is ecological and economic madness by DoC!
It is reckless waste of public money that disrupts ecosystems, slowly and cruelly kills hundreds of non-target species from insects to birds, kills pets especially dogs and stock if they lick poisoned baits and threatens tourism – who wants to walk through a silent forest with notices showing skull and crossbones?
The country is short of money government tells us. This money$2-$3 million every poison drop should be spent on areas crying out for funding such as health.
Despite Rahui being placed on the Moehau (Coromandel) to stop the use of toxic 1080 , the government ,i.e. Department of Conservation continues to plaster the poison.
1080 is an indiscriminate killer.
It was first patented in Germany in 1927 as an insecticide. Thus it kills insects and invertebrates, the foundation for plant and tree pollinations and the whole ecosystem’s functioning.
A scientist the late Mike Meads – a very respected entomologist – studied the effect of 1080 on the forest floor sub-ecosystem. He warned of long term dangers. DoC “buried” Mike Meads’ research, subjected him and his study to “kangaroo court”peer reviews (by compliant, weak kneed DoC scientists) and a couple of other scientists who also sounded warnings.
I think this is a golden opportunity for the newly-established Hillary Outdoors school at Port Charles, Coromandel to “observe” a 1080 drop from start to finish.
I’ll see what they say.
Nothing is being gained by dropping poison in places like Moehau every 2-3 years. But a lot of animal lives are being lost. And vulnerable species aren’t thriving. Nectar-feeding birds are less affected by this toxin, but those species that eat insects are heavily hit. Some have disappeared from heavily-poisoned habitat. The only birds that benefit long term are introduced species. So why are we doing it? It’s insanity. EPA reports show that poison drops aren’t decreasing. 1080 isn’t producing any long term benefit in terms of biodiversity. I see no reason to continue.
So why does DOC have to drop 1080, a second time and then a third time and so on as you correctly say Kathy White?
It is there in scientific research in that rats that survive the 1080 drop – there are always some, apparently about 15% – exponentially breed. Rats are king of the mammalian kingdom in terms of breeding ability. Landcare Research studies show that 18 months after 1080, those 15% of rats that are survivors, have recovered in numbers to “before poison” level.
The momentum of recovery which Nature generates, continues so that three years later there are about 3 times more rats than before poison. All DOC has achieved is creating a population explosion of rats.
Why do DOC scientists ignore this research?
DOC has disrupted the food chain. With more rats, which are stoat’s main prey, stoat numbers rise.
Along comes ignorant DOC three – four years after the drop, takes a look and says 1080 is needed again. So the deathly cycle is repeated.
Each time the 1080 poison accounts for more birds and more invertebrates (e.g. worms, insects etc). Moreporks, falcon, kiwis are very susceptible to 1080 especially by secondary poisoning as each insect, each worm, beetle in dying s-l-o-w-l-y has toxin in its body.