SPCA at odds with Wright
michael.daly@stuff.co.nz
The SPCA ruffled many feathers on Tuesday when it said it wanted a ban on poisons such as 1080 to control predators, saying no animal should be made to suffer.
The article, published on the SPCA’s website, raised the question of whether it’s OK to cause some introduced animals to suffer, to prevent them causing the suffering and death of native species.
Forest & Bird fired back at the SPCA saying an estimated 25 million native birds, eggs and chicks are cruelly eaten alive by introduced predators every year in New Zealand.
It called the SPCA naive for suggesting ways should be found for predators and prey to co-exist.
The SPCA said: ‘‘We would like to see a ban on the use of poisons such as 1080, because these substances cause such intense and prolonged suffering to animals that we believe their use can never be justified.’’
In a 2011 report on 1080, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Dr Jan Wright said a report for the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee rated 1080 as ‘‘relatively humane’’.
‘‘Possums stop eating within an hour of consuming 1080, become lethargic and die between five and 40 hours later, depending on the dose consumed.
‘‘Rats can show pain-related behaviours such as increased grooming and stomach scratching, altered breathing, un-coordination and convulsions.
‘‘Deer have been recorded as becoming lethargic and lying down quietly without convulsions or leg-thrashing. However, researchers have noted that behavioural responses in deer to poisoning must be interpreted cautiously. This is because deer are known to frequently show no symptoms when in pain.
‘‘Dogs, stoats, and ferrets have all been observed to go through states of fitting and un-coordinated movement to difficulty in breathing, lethargy, and paralysis. Vomiting can also occur. It is not clear how much carnivores suffer during poisoning, as there is evidence they lose consciousness well before death occurs.’’
A 2015 paper in the New Zealand Veterinary Journal said the behaviour of eight experimentally poisoned possums had been assessed in a controlled study.
‘‘Half the animals displayed abnormal appearances and postures one hour 50 minutes after consuming baits, seven of the eight animals exhibited retching, and three vomited, over a 27-minute period (these symptoms starting two hours 53 minutes after dosing).
‘‘Lack of co-ordination began three hours 37 minutes after dosing, with possums then spending most of the time until death prostrate and showing spasms and tremors; mean time to death was 11 hours 26 minutes.’’
Could introduced predators with native wildlife? coexist
The SPCA said: ‘‘There should be greater emphasis on looking for solutions that would enable species who cannot be completely removed, to co-exist in the environment instead.’’
In her 2011 report, PCE Wright said: ‘‘The damage done to our native species and forests by possums, rats and stoats is a huge and accelerating problem . . .
‘‘Kiwi, ka¯ka¯, ko¯kako, ka¯ka¯riki, mo¯hua and whio will almost certainly disappear from forests without effective pest control. Other native birds (eg kereru¯ , korimako, tu¯ ı¯) are also vulnerable to predation and competition for food from introduced mammals and will decline further without effective pest control.’’
Some native plants and many animals, including insects, frogs, lizards and at least one bat, faced further decline and potential extinction on the mainland as the result of the ‘‘relentless impact of introduced mammals’’.
‘‘For the foreseeable future we are faced with ongoing control of these pests if we wish to protect our native animals, plants and unique ecosystems.’’
Where does the 25 million figure come from?
In its reply to the SPCA statement, Forest & Bird said: ‘‘While the idea of stoats and rats peacefully co-existing with native birds sounds great, the reality is that an estimated 25 million native birds, eggs, and chicks are cruelly eaten alive by introduced predators every year.’’
An internet search provides numerous instances of the 25 million figure being used, including in government announcements and Department of Conservation documents.
DOC attributed the figure to Landcare Research wildlife ecologist John Innes. Elsewhere, Innes has been reported calculating 26.7 million eggs and chicks are killed by introduced pests each year.
Innes was not available to explain how he calculated the figure.