OPOSSUMS AND BIRD LIFE

Hokitika Guardian, 4 October 1928, Page 2

OPOSSUMS AND BIRD LIFE

(From New Zealand Fishing and Shooting Gazette.) • Sir, —May I make use of your columns to record a protest against a 'etter"appearing in a booklet bv the New Zealand Native Birc] Protection Society. The booklet is Bulletin. No. l|th, of July, 1928, and entitled ‘Birds.” The article in question is beaded “Opossums and Opossum? "rapping” and signed E. \ . Sanderson. While giving the writer of tin: article all credit for his endeavours t< protect our native birds, and in this matter I entirely agree .with him. yet, at .the. same, tn.be, it, is deplorable that in his enthusiasm for. the protection of the birds he has made statements that- are quite contrary to fact, as well as giving publicity F what may be termed pernicious propaganda for the extermination, of the opossums. As a member of tlie local Acclimatisation Society, 1 trust that . othei interested Societies shall take up the cudgels on behalf, of, the opossum, and make a concerted effort to counteract the unjust antagonism to this harmless, and., at the same time, highly valuable Rifle, animal. . . Living in a I .community where (he opossum is fairly plentiful., and also where the native birds are still to be. seen in large and increasing pumbeis, T feel that I have some justification for the action I am taking in endeavouring to make it dear to the "New Zealand, Native Birds Protection Society that they , are doing no uppfu! service to the community in general or the native birds in particular, by their very biased article as, above quoted. The Westland Acclimatisation Society is second to none in its efforts to jirotect our native (birds, and yet at the same time it has made repeated requests to the Government to permit the liberation of oposums in the great tracts of forest country in South Westland. The Forestry Department is also in favour of this being done, and has time and again stressed (ts •, opinion , that the opossuip, does no’-hadn> to.l lofir aUd -ak birds are a vital ;.n'ejcqssity' jtqj tp£f Ijfe of our forests, it dan-be'Assumed 1 tlfat the Department- must consider that the opossum is no mepace .to bird; life.

Mr SandjOrson . stqtes.; that there,; is no question, qf doubt, of. , .the depredations of .these animuß on (birds, j hut I submit fjhat he is; quite wrong. Let anyrnne rexapiine.'thq dentition, of an ■opossum, ant), he ;w.ill. pronounce it to : be a purely .herbivorous i animal.. . 1 have never' yet , a trapper .or any other person who wanders through the bush, who has seen an opossum attack a bird. True, the opossum is nocturnal in its habits, and such may be argued that' this is the reason why it is never seen attacking ' birds, but what about tlie feathers that would be left, to litter the ground ’if shell were the''case, find as l)i>t)i bird-life and opossums - are plentiful in. tli'is ppartyof tlie country;, there Would be ample evidence of their depredations? The trappfer is perhaps indirectly biie of the greatest conservators ’of the bird-life, as during'the course of the trapping season he -'destroys a ‘great number of'bush rats, stoats and weasels. The latter * annual is the oiie on which the New' Zealand Native Birds Projection Society can concentrate their activities, and in this matter they would have the support of practically the whole of the Acclimatisation Societies of New Zealand. As far as kiwis and we leas are concerned, these birds are very scarce, even in this district, and I have only heard of one kiwi that has been caught in an opossum trap. The damage done to forests by tlie trapper is negligblp, as the undergrowth springs up so quickly that practically all trace of his presence is obliterated in a couple of years.

But the principal point of my letter is to protest against the advocacy of poisoning opossums. Mr Sanderson states that no “bonafide” trapper can hope to compete with the poisoner. What can be construed out of this but that it is very advisable for opossum , hunters to use this method? Again, further on, he states that rangers are few and far between. I have termed this “pernicious propaganda,” and I sincerely hope that the New Zealand Native Birds Protection Society will not permit any more statements of this nature to appear in their journal as the Acclimatisation Societies generally are making determined efforts to stamp out this unlawful practice. Poisoning has been tried very extensively in this district, and the very men who have used it are its principal antagonists. In such densely wooded country where fhe opossum is caught, they find that ihe opossum has only to wander a yard off the track, and it is lost. Quite one third of the opossums poisoned are not recovered. fit is regrettabiq that we find statements of this nature appearing in a journal that should be an authority on these matters. If the writer of the article knew hi s’, subject he would have known that the method of laying poison is perhaps one of the greatest dangers to bird and animal life. Cases have been known in the district where even cattle have been poisoned by the cyanide left lying by unscrupulous individuals. It also stands to reason that bird-life must and does suffer from it, and any “reformed” poisoner will give ample evidence of it. One of the most regrettable features of the poison is that it is usually left lying about the (bush, and although a shower of rain will make it lose its

potency as an immediate killer, yet it always retains sufficient of its properties to cause a painful and lingering death to any animal or bird that may eat it. As tlie whole matter of bird-life and the opossum industry is being thoroughly .investigated by the Government I feel sure that enquiry in this district would have the effect of counteracting any such statements that opossums are prejudicial to 'bird-life. 1 am, etc., A. C. ARMSTRONG; • Hokitika, September 17th, 1928.