WAR ON DEER AND GOATS

Chronicle (Levin), 19 October 1946, Page 5

WAR ON DEER AND GOATS

WELLINGTON, Oct. 18. Proparations are in train for a large scalc summer campnign in both islantis against deer, thar and chamois. The operations will begin very shortly About 80 men are employed on the work bjr the Government" and alreadv much suceess has been achieved by parties during the winter months, especiallv in ihe iVfarlborough district where big killings of goats are reported. Though the offensive against goats was concentrated in the Marlborough area, it was extended to Lake Waka tipu, Lake Te Anau and the hinterland of Ilawkes Bav. Small scale mopping iip operations are still being carried on 011 the fringes of the areas whicli had been subjeeted to intensive goat destruc , tio.11. Tliese will continue when the sum .ni'er c!es:tnietions, programme for. deer bpeiisr 'T'The hufiting of goats on tliU slopes of Art.'Eginbnt is alko envisaged this summer while thar and chamois. whicli were inaccessible to shooters dur ing winter months because of snow, will also be tlie target in certain areas. Arrangements are going forward vigorouslv to put into application a scheme to provision the parties in isolated parts from the air. A much greater range will tlius be given to shooters. It will be possible to work systcmatically tlirough the eountrv formerly almost be vond consideration owing to difiieulties of packing in supplies. A11 interesting report sliowing how the systeiuatic destruction of deer had led to regeneration of the forests in the Rangiwahia area was sent into the Wellington Acelimatisation Society by the district lionorary secretary, Mr. A. .T. Wood. During the last 15 years he and others liad done a great deal of deer sliooting on tliese areas, lie wrote. Until five years ago the busli was being dest/oyed at an alarniing rate, but since the price of deer skins rose there had been a war waged 011 deer. Today there was only one deer in tlie bush for every five that had formerly been there. Tlie bush was regenerating itself very well. Vegetation, comprising young totara trees and pepperwood, Avas making ground cover over what was previously almost bare soil. It was to be noted that' the district rivers, which all had their ori'gin in the State forests, had not flooded uiiduly for the last four years.