BOAR SHOOTS HIMSELF

Opotiki News, Volume I, Issue 114, 25 November 1938, Page 2

BOAR SHOOTS HIMSELF

KILLER OF YOUNG LAMBS AN INGENIOUS TRAP FARMERS RID OF A MENACETim ingenious way in which he has caused the death of u large wild pig which had killed G<' to TO 1 young lambs this scas<Mi, and had been responsible in the past, few years for the destruction of hundreds of sheep and lambs was told in Dunedin a few days ago by Mr. Hebert Aitken, Macfurlano Downs estate, Clydevnle. After nearly three months of intensive efforts had failed to bring about the death.of the boar, which was a genuine “Captain. Cooker”. yii-. Aitken devised :i method by which the pig was enabled to rid the district < f a menace hv killing himself.

The Maclarlane "Downs estate is ahout two miles from the Blue Aloimtnins well known as the haunt of wild pigs, and for some years a steady toll has been taken of the sheep and young lambs on the estate hy one wild pig in particular. Sporadic attempts had boon made to destroy him. hut these were without success, and in September of this year Air. Ait-ken set two. men to keep a constant Witch for him. Each of the men saw the. pig once, but he was far too- cunning tobe brought to a face to face battle, and eventually a man was sent outwith boarhounds in an effort- to kill the marauder.

Extremely Crafty. When a hoar has reached the ago that this one had. however, he is extremely crafty, and this attempt also failed. It was then that Mr. Ait ken, concerned hy the toll that had been taken of his young lambs, thought of the idea which last week converted the killer into dead pork. On a wire fence of the estate lie rigged- up a. .JOB riHe pointing to‘.lard the ground and to the trigger lie attached a. length of piano wire which ran up through a pulley iixed to the base of the stock and then down to the earth, where it was firmly embedded, Anything which struck the piece of piano wire would instantly discharge, the rifle, and it- was on this device that he centred his hopes of killing the old man hoar —or. to lie more exact, oil’ allowing the hoar to kill ‘himself.

The first- attempt was not- successful hut each time the trap was set in a. different place where tlm pigs were known to run. and eventually last week it was placed in position in a. “run” and the trap proved successful.