An Opinion by Carol Sawyer of Wanaka
Do you know what happens to 1080-poisoned Kea? They stagger around taking hours and hours to die. They bury their heads in the snow to try and get relief from the pain. Dr.Jo Pollard says “The keas’ deaths will be horrific, with extreme muscular spasms going on for many hours.” David Attenborough called them the most intelligent bird in the world. They are the world’s only alpine parrot.
Three BK-117 helicopters – ZK-IME (a.k.a Big Red the Rescue Helicopter), ZK-HJK,(white), and ZK-HEM, (red and white), and a Longranger, all belonging to HeliOtago Ltd, left Dunedin at 6.30 pm on Thursday 25 June heading west to be in place for starting their evil work tomorrow morning. Seven choppers arrived at Monowai tonight… yet to find out if they are all HeliOtago Ltd or if three are from another company.
This area has never before been poisoned. The drop was planned for last October but there were no rats so it was postponed and, I am told, the poison that had been brought south for the drop was instead used in the Kepler Mountains drop last March, which was squeezed in just before lockdown…. I’m informed they added on the Princess Mountains to use all the extra poison up. No monitoring done there apparently.
DoC Trickery
So, here they are again and this time DoC have done a wee conjuring trick and say it is for stoats (there being no rats).
The fact is stoats don’t eat 1080 baits.
I can tell you what it will kill in large numbers… Kea. As the area has never before been poisoned there are many Kea reported to be in the area. A while back a pilot sent me a photo of seven Kea that landed beside him when he touched down there.
We have an estimated 1,000 Kea left in the wild in New Zealand….. in the whole world in fact, as they are endemic – i.e.they exist only here! The latest 1080 poison drop in the Matukituki Valley, Mt Aspiring National Park, February 2020, killed 50% of the Kea. More than that will die in the Wet Jacket Peninsulas drop because it is midwinter and the Kea are very hungry.
Parasitic Acolytes
The Empire of the Department of Conservation, greedy helicopter companies, and all their parasitic acolytes will fall… but it will be too late for the Kea.
Any of you gutless DoC employees reading this who put your personal livelihoods before your knowledge of this travesty and the horror it entails, and keep your mouths shut pleading “I can’t afford to lose my job”… hang your heads in shame why don’t you?! You know who you are!
Ditto the local media who know about this drop and are too scared to touch it and tell the truth. You know who you are too.
In conclusion I realise ths is emotional but I make no excuses.
We have published and posted the facts ad infinitum. There is absolutely no justification for this drop, even in the poisoner’s weird lexicon. Anyway, here again, are the facts about this particular aerial 1080 drop:
