WANTED: EIGHTY RABBITS

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 3976, 27 July 1929, Page 3

WANTED: EIGHTY RABBITS

PROFESSOR KIRK’S APPLICATION TO RABBIT BOARD.

It scarcely seems conceivable jhaf the area comprising the Afanavvatu Rabbit Boards district which only a short while ago was tealining’with rabbits, is to-day unable t (/produce eighty of these animals. But such was the state of affairs as presented to the monthly meeting of the Manawatu Rabbit Board by the Inspector (Mr. D. R. Barron) at Thursday’s meeting, who reported that he had 'received a letter from Professor Iv. 15. Kirk stating that he would be indebted to the inspector if he could get a trapper to forward forty live, undamaged rabbits to the Victoria College by the 9th 'September, to be followed by a further consignment of forty on September ffOth for the training of the students in the Biological Department of the University.

The inspector said that at present there was not a trapper in the Board’s district. He had approached several people on the dnattei and pointed out that the College was prepared to pay up to 3/- each for the rabbits and all transit charges but they had only laughed at him., One sulch person had informed him that he (knew where one rabbit was but he had no idea where he would be able to get the vest. The inspector; said that there was a possibility of getting .the rabbits from the Rang’itikei Rivetr bed. Trustee Grammar said he knew of some outside the Board’s area on the banks of the Oroua River. Trustee Cooke (Government Stock Inspector) 'said that he bad not seen a rabbit for some time now.

The inspector said that stoats, weasels and wild eats were keeping the few rabbits in the Board’s district down now. (There Were a great number of these animals in the southern portion of the district. The chairman said that there were verv few rabbits in the whole district, he did not think they would lie able to catch the required eighty, and if they could it would lie a very unprofitable business as there was only one here and there. The poisoning seemed to be very effective. On Mr. Austin’s property lie had seen 248 rabbits taken in one poisoning and since then be had not seen-a sign of the pest on that property. The (inspector concurred on the effectiveness of the poisoning operations and said that for two years he had not seen a sign of a rabbit on Mr. Smith’s property at Moutoa. Thetre had been a few at the Beach but since last 'meeting, together with .the Pilot (iCaptain Larsen) he had laid poison at the beach and as a result three does and 19 /bucks had been killed and this had practically wiped out the pest in that locality. It was decided to write Professor Kirk suggesting that an advertisement be inserted in a Wellington paper for the rabbits as they would probably be able to obtain the required number of tame rabbits in Ihe city for the sum |sta.ted, there being none available in the Board’s district.