THE KEA.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 586, 14 August 1909, Page 14

THE KEA.

GOVERNMENT PROTECTION

Mr.. 1. D,,,.Burnett, .-.MountACook: Station, '.has "written: as follows to the. Mackenzie County Council:— . ■ - ; - .• t

... Sir,—'l want thß-.adyice of ,your. 'council regarding, tho curious anomaly that exists in th« protection of kcas on Tourist Department reserv-av \lt;is common knowledge in the Tas-;man-/.Valleyt.'and' has ~also.bee'n thought-worthy 'Pf, jfesSftqtices, '$'»£ the Tourist-Department at.thevHermitage ;take no steps de-struction,-and; discountenance an 1 -outsider doing, so. ~Tliis is, a'.serious thing for me, as in; the last .July storm; 1908, .sixty; sheep were either .'.worried or'chased ovef.'ro'clcs. by these hi.rds.vand.rmy,;, ,pe?ple and; I.'reckon-that- we :,ireftiroin^3ooo':'to'\£4ooo..'the poorer-'through the^'orrying-habit? of '.the lcea. The'.pbaition is. similar, to. f< that : ,'of a ; 'farmer whor by persistent'efforts "Keetis-his.- land'.free;. fromf'Cali- ■ fortiian ;;this,tle .oril£ to .'Bee .it"? periodically :je-; infesced' throughVithistles being' allowed • to'see'd bn.'Qoverhmeht,.'lands adjoining. "During the last wtwelv ; 4-',m6'nlhs- one hundred; and'.'.forty , .'up the Tasman and Jollie gorges'-sf.this run, and while to-day tho place ts: practically., free, in a fortnight there may.;be/!V-'6core orJtpro infesting it, and'fast autumn scores, of. keas frequented the .Government hiits-up . 'Would 1 the: covin"cil urge f Dopartment "'.to takel- adequate measuresvifor the destruction of keas on theii reserves,- others recent increased "kea beak' subsidy will lie partly nullified; or fail-' ing; ...that .::w,ould.Uthey advise me,, if / one has tho mhfr'to-proceed 'on: to Government ground in' order, to destroy' birds' gazetted las noxious. ; 'It 'resolved to. forward a'; copy of the letter; to the- Hon. T. Mackenzie,.. Minister in , change Tourist. Department,' with the. counoilVexpressed':approval of its contents. 1