Goatbusters!
Chopper hunts for Tongariro's feral foes
Ahelicopter with thermal technology will search 16,000 hectares of the Tongariro National Park this month in an effort to ensure the World Heritage-listed site is free of feral goats.
According to the Department of Conservation it is the largest-scale surveillance operation it has attempted.
Department of Conservation (DoC) Tongariro District operations manager George Taylor told the Waikato Herald the park’s Capra hircus or wild goat population was eradicated last year.
“We undertake regular surveillance to detect and address incursions early. This is far more costeffective than removing an established population,” Taylor said.
“This year we will be surveying around 16,000 hectares of the national park using high-specification thermal technology.
“This is the largest scale over which we have attempted this kind of operation.”
Taylor said the goats caused significant damage to New Zealand’s native plants and habitats.
“Wild goats heavily browse New Zealand’s native plants, strip bark from trees, and devour any new seedlings,” Taylor said.
”[They] also trample and harden soils, and, when combined with less vegetation, steep countryside is more vulnerable to slips and erosion.
“If allowed to remain and breed in high numbers, the entire understory of forests can be stripped away and can cause forest canopy collapse.”
Taylor said keeping goats out of the park was essential to maintain the area’s natural and cultural value.
“National park status is one of the highest protections given to conservation land, and it is important we manage the threats facing its unique
native biodiversity.”
A helicopter will be completing surveillance and control of goats in the park from May 1 to June 20, weather dependent.
A notification on the DoC webpage for the Tongariro Alpine Crossing said the helicopter would operate from early mornings for four to six hours.
“The alpine zone may be surveyed
later in the morning,” the website said. “Deer and pigs are not being targeted. Any control efforts will be in open areas, as close as possible to reduce risks.”
According to DoC’s website aerial and ground shooting are the most common methods used for goat control. Other methods used are trapping and mustering.
“DoC uses a combination of professional ground hunters and staff with highly trained indicator or bailing dogs for locating wild goats for removal,” the website said.
What are feral goats and where did they come from?
According to the Waikato Regional Council, goats (Capra hircus) were introduced to New Zealand in the
1770s.
Originally, the goats acted as an additional food source and cleared weeds on developing land.
They later provided fibre for commercial industries. Goats were easily domesticated, and, as a result, were moved throughout the country as land was cleared for farming and settlement.
Populations of feral goats have largely been a result of escapees from farms and deliberate releases. They occupy a wide range of habitats from the coast to upland areas, living in introduced and native grasslands, scrub and forest.
Male goats stand around 70 centimetres high at the shoulder and can grow to 1.5 metres in length, weighing between 50 to 60 kilograms. Adult females are considerably smaller. Both sexes may have coats of white, black, brown or a combination of these, and have horns.
Goats were recognised as a threat to New Zealand’s native vegetation from the 1890s and were identified as a major pest in the 1930s.