Possum control moves into horse area

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 14, Issue 684, 29 April 1997, Page 7

Possum control moves into horse area

Work has continued on the Taihape Buffer possum contr'ol programme being carried out by the ManawatuWanganui Regional Council, which sees 1400 hectares so far treated with 1 080 pellets in the Te Rei bush area southeast of Waiouru. M WRC staff did the aerial drop on Friday 1 1 April prior to the forecasted spell of good weather. In response to concerns about the safety of wild horses during the operation, land manager David Harrison said "the area was check for wild horses twice before the operation by helicopter and again after the operation. No horses were seen". Helicopters used the global positioning system (GPS), which uses satellites, to ensure a high level of accuracy over the area where the poison pellets were dropped. Earlier last month the regional council agreed to postpone treating 400 hectares until after the Department of Conservation completed a census of wild horses in the area. No plans have yet been made to complete the remaining 400 hectares. The regional council will consult with DoC and the Army now that the census has been completed. The success of the possum control operation will be checked by trapping after the programme is completed.