Goat battle may finally be over
For almost a century, authorities have been trying to rid Egmont National Park of feral goats.
And now, after 93 years, the world’s longest-running goateradication programme may be coming to an end.
Taranaki Mounga project manager Sean Zieltjes said results from a recent thermalimaging project did not detect goats, or evidence of them, in the sub-alpine area of the park during 30 hours of flying time. ‘‘There will be individual goats in places but the numbers will be extremely low,’’ Zieltjes said.
Removing the threat of goats is part of a broader predator-control programme managed by the Taranaki Mounga project. Conservation Department staff from Taranaki and Te Anau, along with Te Anau Helicopters, conducted the aerial operation and thermal detection work.
The low number of goats removes the threat to native plants, some of which are only found on the mounga. ‘‘Goats have caused significant damage to the forest structure over the last 100 years, as they eat young seedlings, saplings and ring bark mature trees,’’ Zeiltjes said.
This vegetation provides food and places to live for native insects, lizards and birds, he said.
Since 1925 around 100,000 goats have been shot in the national park.
Zieltjes said the area had been extensively hunted during the past few years by experienced contractors, and DOC staff who knew through experience there were few left but the thermalimaging project proved this, indicating the eradication programme was on the right track.
Zieltjes said Taranaki Mounga was looking at options on how to finish the job, or prove that goats were now ‘‘functionally extinct’’ because of the very low numbers that may still be in the park.
The project is asking for help from neighbouring landowners to stop the reintroduction of goats into the park.
Zieltjes said it was important for the biodiversity of the mounga that domestic goats did not escape and breed in the park.
An awareness campaign would start later this year and would share information with neighbours on the impact goats had on the park and how goat owners could properly restrain their animals, he said.