SLAUGHTER BY KEAS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 3976, 27 July 1929, Page 1

SLAUGHTER BY KEAS.

SHEEP CAUGHT IN SNOW. STATION” OWNER'S EXPERIENCE. lOlirisMiureh, July 23. An interesting letter dealing with the slaughter of sheep by keas, espoeially in high country, has been received by Mr. Wl H. ’Nicholson, secretary of tine Canterbury Sheenowners’ Union, from Mr. Bruce Murray, owner of God ley Peaks Station, Lake 'Te Kapo. Mr. Nicholson said that the executive of the 'Sheepowners’ Union felt that the only explanation of the Government's action in reducing the .price if or kieas’ heads was its desire to economise. It is felt that the Minister of Agriculture is too practical a man ito ignore .the necessity for dealing with this pest, not only in the interests of sheepowners on high country, but in the ii.l crests of the Government itself, which is the landlord of the high country where the damage by keas is done.

“On June 25,” states Mr. Murray, “we had a vofry heavy fall of snow up (lie Godley from the west, and owing to heavy winds causing drifts and the fact that! it had been an open winter we had a fair amount" of snow raking to do. J have two huts up the Godley and two shepherds stay in ealeh hut during the winter. NINE BIRDS ATTACKING MOB. “It was while snoiw raking 4000 Merino wethers that we saw the kea at work. It- was in a gully called Kea .Gully that ithev were doing most killing. Two shepherds were working on, Kea Gully. .Owing to the depth of snow they were unable to get the sheep on to clear country in one day, and so they left them in the snow for the night. On going up the bill next- morning they saw keas attacking a mob of 200 sheep. It appears there were about nine keas at work. The shepherds found that 200 sheep had been killed and one or two were still alive, but so injured that they had to be destroyed at once. ? 'A 11 along the facing were small mobs of sheep with one or tlwo dead sheep in each. I was .working with another man at the south end of the block, and while going up a spii- we saw a kea attacking a single sheep. By the time we got HP to it therei was >a piece of skin about six inches square lying from the sheep’s back, hut luckily we 'were in time to save the sheep’s lifjj. TEN SHILLINGS A HEAD FOR KEAS. “The two men ati the top hut are now spending the time hunting keas and I iaim giving them 10/- per head. If I were asked how many sheep I lost through this last snow 1 should say about 20 or 30, although we only saw about six sheep dead owing to the drifts, and we actually saw about: 50 that had bee.nl killed by keas.” Mr. Murray adds |that the kea kill’s most in heavy snow and in early spring when therei is a shortage of berries. Foir every sheep that one sees dead there are twenty that lare not seen. A lot of sheep thought to have been killed by falling over rocks had been put over these rocks by the kea. Mjr. Murray had seen sheep pursued by a kea. dashed to pieces in nf mad leap ever roteka.

Mr. Murray estimates the loss by keas on Godley peaks during the past eight yea/rs at 2000 sheep, or 250 a. year, and the loss on high country in the Mackenzie at thousands. “I have noticed several letters in the papers of late written by people who think that keas do not kill,” eonjeludes |Mr, Murray. “1 wish they had been up hdre during this last snoiw.”