Fight over tahr cull plan heats up
The Department of Conservation’s tahr cull programme is facing a battle on two fronts with hunting and conservation interests split over whether it is too excessive or not sufficient.
The New Zealand Tahr Foundation (NZTF) lodged an injunction with the High Court in Wellington on Friday just a few days after Forest and Bird New Zealand said it was seeking a declaration that DOC’s plan is illegal and fails to meet the requirements for national parks and wilderness areas.
NZTF representatives said yesterday they were not ruling out withdrawing it if they were able to find a suitable compromise with DOC.
Significant tahr control was launched over the past year, with estimates that more than 12,000 animals were culled in public conservation land by DOC with assistance from hunting groups.
NZTF president Snow Hewetson said DOC was planning a similarly large-scale programme for the coming season, and his organisation wanted to put a stop to it.
‘‘It’s excessive. There is no real need for it, it’s unjustified in terms of its scale.’’
Hewetson said although the foundation had lodged the court injunction, they hoped to reach an agreement with DOC.
‘‘We always want to work with DOC in the first instance.’’
The himalayan mountain goat is sought after by hunters as a trophy animal. However, its large numbers, particularly on conservation land, has posed issues for DOC.
Forest and Bird’s West Coast manager Nicky Snoyink said the numbers of tahr were far above what was stipulated in the himalayan tahr control plan.
‘‘DOC simply has to do more,’’ Snoyink said.
DOC tahr programme leader James Holborow had previously said he hoped to get the new tahr cull underway in July.
Holborow has said the last tahr population count on conservation land estimated there to be about 35,000. The control plan calls to limit the population to 10,000 on Crown and conservation land. It became operative in 1993.
Hewetson agreed the plan needed to be looked at, as it ‘‘hadn’t changed in nearly 27 years’’. ‘‘It was supposed to be a living document, instead it has remained static.’’
Hewetson said the tahr hunting industry brought several million dollars per year to the New Zealand economy.
‘‘It’s a highly sought-after animal, as you can’t hunt it anywhere else,’’ he said.
The Game Animal Council (GAC) shares the concerns of the New Zealand Tahr Foundation about the scale of DOC’s operations for the coming season.
GAC chairman Don Hammond said it was ‘‘not founded on adequate science and is a departure from plans previously supported by the hunting sector’’.
‘‘Science needs to be the basis of any animal management plan and unfortunately there is very inadequate science regarding current tahr population densities and their impact on native vegetation in different locations,’’ Hammond said.
‘‘Given this poor level of understanding, the new proposed plan has the potential to decimate the tahr herd.’’
DOC has said both injunctions.
National’s conservation spokeswoman, Waitaki MP Jacqui Dean, wants Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage to reconsider the tahr control operations.
‘‘Tahr numbers need to be sensibly managed, but proper consultation and due diligence needs to be carried out before we lump taxpayers with a big bill that might not be necessary,’’ Dean said.
‘‘Conservation decisions should be based on science not ideology.’’ it will defend