Rabbit Boards Warned Against Complacency

Press, Volume C, Issue 29504, 4 May 1961, Page 10

Rabbit Boards Warned Against Complacency

The council should never let its attention be distracted from killing the last rabbit. If it could control other vermin during rabbiting it should do so, but this should not be allowed to divide the fight against rabbits, said the chairman (Mr R. A. Chaffey) in his report to tne annual meeting of the North Canterbury Rabbit Boards’ Council yesterday. “It is very easy to become complacent, but it is only through continual hunting and killing, day and night, winter and summer, that we are able to keep rabbits down to a low minimum. But we must not forget that we have made no appreciable reduction to this minimum during the last two years. “Recently legislation has been passed authorising rabbit boards to take over the control of opossums on a permissive basis.” said Mr Chaffey. “This has caused considerable controversy with articles in the press, and I know all boards in the council are extremely worride of the outcome. I confident the Rabbit Destruction Council will not make opossum control mandatory on rabbit boards if it causes any slackening in rabbit destruction. We must' not forget that the rabbit is public enemy No. 1 and is our main job until he is exterminated." Three new boards covering the area between the Ashley and Rakaia rivers were formed during the year, said Mr Chaffey. This completed the coverage of an area which had been a menace for many years to boards in surrounding areas, and would mean the eradication of the rabbit in Canterbury would be made very much easier and quicker. Mr Chaffey said there was still a large area in MidCanterbury to be covered, and he urged the council to keep working for a complete coverage.

“Although we have reduced the rabbit population to a fairly low minimum we are forever trying to find better ways or a change of policy to knock him right out,” said Mr Chaffey. The Canterbury riverbeds were very long and very wide, and contained a large number of inaccessible islands and an immense amount of thick cover of gorse and broom. These river beds had always been and still were the main breeding grounds, and were a continual source of reinfestation. “I suggest we should annihilate the rabbit from our river beds. By- doing so we ivould take a very big step towards getting the last rabbit and at the same time greatly reduce the cost of labour of rabbiting. “This can be done by aerial poisoning with 1080 up and down each river from bank to bank, over all the islands, shingle, gorse, and broom. There are many difficulties, but they can all be overcome. “Until now, for many good reasons, we have had to tackle the rabbit from the outside, to stop him spreading and force him back in We have now come to the time when the real source of our troubles—the river beds —should be completely cleared.” Officers elected were:— President. Mr Chaffey; vice-presidents, Messrs G Harper and B A. Nicholls; representative on the South Island Rabbit Boards’ Association. Mr Chaffey; representative on the Rabbit Destruction Council, Mr P. J. Byrne.