THE RABBIT NUISANCE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1577, 6 June 1887, Page 3

THE RABBIT NUISANCE.

Mr Bayley, the Superintendent In spector under the Rabbit Nuisance Act, has submitted his report to Parliament, He says that the dry summer . and mild winter have not tended to decrease the pest, and m parts of Otago, especially on the Waitaki river, the rabbits are worse than ever. Although Canterbury as a whole cannot be considered infested yet, there are three points where the utmost care and vigilance is required to prevent a serious outbreak, The, first of the points referred to which he speaks about is m the south western portion of the province, and after stating means which advantageously be used to materially check, if not entirely exterminate the pest, he goes on to speak of an infested part, the effective dealwith which has some interest for Js district. He says : — In central anterbury, about two years since, a onsiderable colony of rabbits were discovered at the head of the Rangitata river m the Mesopotamia country. Last season about 4000 were destroyed there. Two men have been employed again this year, with the result that about 12,000 have been killed up to January. This country is difficult to work, being inaccessible except during the summer months, owing to the depth of the snow lying on the intervening ranges. Further north, m the Amuri, where an influx threatened last season, steps weie at once taken to check their progress. Two Rabbit Boards have been formed, their intention being to raise funds for the purpose of staying the advance of the racbits by fencing them off the uninvested country. A Board has also been formed m Marlborough, and is now m full work there. He believes the object m view is principally the introduction of the natural enemy, but the Boards are of too regent formation to as yet show results. Mr Bayley is a believer m the " natural enemy " cure, and he says — " The utility of these as an active factor m rabbit destruction is un- , questionable, and the evidence to this effect is conclusive. For the inacces- * sible portions of the colony no other neans are at present available. During he year the following number of ferrets aye been purchased and released by he Department on Crown Lands, prinjipally on rough back country, m the following districts : — Wairarapa, 40 ; Canterbury, ?s: Waifairi, T^n; Wallace, 616; Southland, 800; Lakes, 286; or a total of 1922 during the year. At the same time 7580 have been released by private owners — m Marlborough, 2350 ; Wairarapa, 900 ; Canterbury, '70; Waitaki, 130; Vincent, 1300; Tapanui, 1000 j Southland, 1000 ; Wallace, 700 ; besides others of which no record could be procured . Although rarely seen both the stoat and weasel are believed to be doing good work at the head of the Lakes and Wanaka. Rabbits evidently killed by them are constantly being found, and they have been seen at the furthest point back from Lake Wanaka that sheep are mustered from. The Wanaka Peninsular has been remarkably free from rabbits since the weasels were released there, although little work has been done on it otherwise. Whilst dealing with th'e naturul enemy as a rabbit exterminator, it must be patent to any practical man that so long as the present want of unanimity of action on the part of those most interested m rabbit destruction exists, so long will no decided results be obtained. "As at present conducted, one owner, perhaps, poisons thoroughly m winter, and then leaves off or tries to avoid further destruction until the next winter. Again, another, perhaps, follows up the poisoning by destroying all he possibly can by other means, and then releases the ferret. His neighbor, perhaps, believes m dogs and traps* by both of which means the natural enemy is destroyed and the rabbits- thoroughly scattered. Fumigation, again, where the natural enemy are the victims of destruction as well as that of the pest, owners using these means to obtain temporary relief, completely nullifies the efforts of those whose aim is the permanent suppression of the evil." He suggests that the breeding of ferrets, on a large scale, should be encouraged, because they would be able to cope with the rabbit nuuance on lands otherwise impossible to deal with. He does not, however, make any mention as to whether these ferrets will, if liberated m the way he suggests, prove m the course of time to be themselves pests, but presumably he thinks otherwise. In conclusion he says that the results of the past year's proceedings show that, although the pest is still slowly making fresh headway, yet theit numbers on previously infected country are, as a rule, less, and the increase of sheep, good lambing, and clip, speaks for itself ; but yet the fact remains that the pest is still, and must be, an annual tax upon the owners of properties as well as on the State, and that some inexpensive factor, m the shape of disease or a natural enemy, is required as a destroyer to abate the continual drain on the principal industry of the colony.