NATURE—AND MAN

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 578, 8 July 1933, Page 7

NATURE—AND MAN

Leo Fanning.)

DEER DEVASTATION. F.ACTS V. FANCIES.

(By

New Zealaiiders, the day has comefor you to deeide definitely whether itis more important to use your country for yourselves and your domestic animals or for wild deer, whieh are multiplying enormously in your forests. In plaees where they have eaten out all .aecessible food in the woods, they have, invaded pastures and reduced the carrying capaeity of land for sheep and cattle. After all, the deer pest is a . much more serious preblem than the so-ealled slump which is only a hrief passing phase in the country's history. By one of those queer tricks of fate, the slump is not due to a shortage of real wealth (the usahle materials and manufactures, as distinct from money — the mere medium of exchang'e), but to a superabundance of all the goods that matter for the comfortable maintenance of life. The slump, therefore, is a Gilbertian come. dy — in its final analysis — but the deer nuisanee is a tragedy. National Welfare or "Sport?" Persons who are eager to have deer proteeted so that they may be assured of the sport of stalking are asserting that the "deer menace" is exaggerated. Wdth these persons, who atta,ch more importance to their o'wn selfish pleasure than to national welfare, it is a case of the wish being father to the thought. Therefore they give full play to th'eir faneies on the deer question, and cheerfully1 turn a blind eye to facts. With a shrug of the shoulders and impatient gestures, they dismiss the cumulative evidenee of experts and persist with their nonsensical clamour that the deer are not a danger to New Zealand. Podsnappery" Rampant. In this attitude of fatuous futility, the defenders of the destructive deer remind one of Podsnap, in Cbarles Dickens' "Our Mutual Friend." Podsnap, a selfish superficial domineering individual, was never willing to listen to any reason- except his own. Here is a passage which indicates the line of "Podsnappery": — ■ , "Thus happily acquainted with his ownl merit and importance, Mr. Podsnap settled that whatever he put behind him he put out of existence. There was a dignified conclusiveness — not to add a grand convenience — in this way of getting fid of disagre^ables, which had done much towards establishlng Mr. Podsnap in his lofty place in 'Mr. Podsnap's satisfaetion. T don't want to know about it; I don't choose to discuss it; I don't admit it.' Mr. Podsnap had even acquired a peculiar flourish of his right arm in often clearing the world| of its most difficult prohlems, hy sweeping them hehind him (and consequently sheer away) with those words and a flushed fa.ee. For theyf affronted him." That is exactly how the deer devotees are hehaving to-day in regard to the forests. With an indignant flush and a flourish they hope to sweep h'ard facts into oblivion, and to force their fetish' of foolishness upon the Government. Remember Kaibab. The Kaibab Game Preserve, a forested plateau of more than a million acres, by the Colorado River, Arizona, offers a memorable lesson to New Zealand on the subject of deer. It is mentioned by an American reviewer that for a number of years all hunting of deer was prohibited. Several hundred cougars, thousands of coyotes, as wellt as many wildcats and a few gray wolves of the region were destroyed. The deer, relieved of the destructive effect of their wild and human enemies, quickly hegan to show a marked increase in numhers, and soon the officials of the United States Forest Service, who have charge of the preserve, became conscious of the alarming decrease of available foodsupply. Since the autumn of 1924 restricted hunting has been permitted with a view to trying, if possihle, to save the range. Despite this action, testimony on all sides indicates that great numbers of deer have died of starvation, and the range has steadily deteriorated. Free from natural enemies in the forests of New Zealand — forests which are very sensitive to attack hy browsing animals — the deer have increased alarmingly. The only safe policy for mankind is one which will wipe out the deer. Preference must be given to naticnal welfare against the shortsigh'ted desires of stalkers. It has been definitely proved that the deer are a ruinous nuisanee. Why play with a niusance ? There has been far too much playing; the time has come for slaying, the whole year round, in all forests where deer are established. An Eloquent Memorial. A national lesson may| he read on a monument by Burke's Pass, which leads into the Mackenzie Country, in the lower part of the South Island. Here is the eloquent inscription, which should be well impressed on the minds of all New Zealanders: — • "To put on record that Michael John Burke, a graduate of Dublin University and the first occupier of Rancliff Station, entered that Pass — .known to the Maoris as Te Kopi Opihi, in 1885. "Oh ye who enter the portals of the Mackenzie to found homes, take the word of a child of the misty gorges and plant forest trees for your lives! So shall your mountain facing and river flats be preserved to your children's children and you for evermore. — 2,200 feet above sea-level." Muderous German Owls. German owls can thank deer for distracting attention from themselves at present. Next month will he the official "Bird Month" in the Native Bird Proetction Society' s calendar, but every month is a "bird month" for the vicious owl, in the sense that it never eases up in its ruthless preying on the smaller native birds. Kind people are expected to help worthy birds to live duringi, August— usually a very cold mohth, when many birds are faced with a cost-of-living problem.. That is the time when their vitality may he lowered by cold and hunge.r— and thus they fall easy victims for the voracious ferocious alien owl. Baphazard . Gontrol. The Otago Acclimatisation Society, which is responsible for the introduction cf that horrihle awl, is now an idle spectator of its havoc in many districts. This Mnd of casualness is another reminder qf the urgent need

of reform in control of wild life. Too much reliance has been plaeed on the various acclimatisation societies, which have been nptable for uniforandty of policy. Executives come and go, year hy year, and notions and motions change. It ha,s been a queer regime of haphazardness, which has produced sonie grievous hlunders ahd mudcfles. Moreover, these societies tend to become merely rod-and-gun clubs, with a vision limited by considerations of sport — but even along the line of sport the • pol-icies are apt to fail, through lack of the necessary long view. , , An editorial'article in a'recent issue of "American Game, 55 official magazine of the American Game Association, has this passage: — "The one thing that conservation needs most is contnuity of policy which is best obtained hy continuity of service of experieneed, efficient officials. "The States have been notorious for the constant shifting of administrative personnel. And conservation progress has been terribly retarded thereby. "On the other hand the United States Government, and this is likewise true of the Canadian Government, has constantly been held up as a shining example of wha,t continuity of policy and service means in conservation affairs."