Menaced by Deer

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 928, 22 March 1930, Page 8

Menaced by Deer

PLEA FROM KING COUNTRY ALTHOUGH an opinion was expressed at an Auckland Acclimatisation Society meeting the other evening that the menace from deer herds was a nonentity, high feeling exists among property owners in the King Country that firm steps should be taken to remove a very real danger. The ravages caused in Taringamotu Valley are declared to be on a scale similar to the destruction in Otago and Southland.

At the time the opinion on the position in the Auckland Province was expressed, the Auckland society appointed Mr. C. M. Gordon as its representative at a conference, to be held in Christchurch, to consider the most effective means of eradicating the huge herds of deer which threaten forests and productive land In certain areas of the South Island. The Sun’s correspondent at Taumarunul states that the destruction in Taringamotu Valley, one of the most fertile areas of central King Country, has reached a degree where owners view the nuisance as highly serious. _ An opinion, however, has been given in Taumarunui on behalf of the followed of deer-stalking as a sport and in defence of the view given out by a member of the Auckland Acclimatisation Society. Doubt has been cast on the assertions of the farmers affected by the deer nuisance, and it has been claimed that benefit must come from the visits to the district of overseas sportsmen and even the considerable numbers of deer-stalkers in New Zealand. A party went specially from Taumarunui to study the exact position at the locality and to receive infor mation from the owners affected. The members were convinced that the damage was greater and more widespread than the reports had indicated. FORCED TO GUARD CROPS In one case, a well-known settler, Mr. R. Handley, was forced to rise before daybreak and to keep a constant guard until late each night in order to protect his crops from the marauding animals. Even with this vigilance, a portion of his crops had been spoiled. A settler nearby, Mr. P. Tahu, had his crops completely ruined. Others told of similar experiences and claimed that the position was sufficiently serious to warrant action.

Fences were no longer a safeguard as the deer were able to leap them easily. A proof of the anxiety of these settlers is evident in a petition which has been sent to the Parliamentary member for the district, Mr. F. Langstone. This petition, which is signed by no fewer than 50 farmers, asks for immediate action, and it will be sent to the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Hon. P. A. de la Perrelle.

“If the deer in Taringamotu Valley are not dealt with soon, they will become a menace to the whole of the King Country,” Mr. A. Kinnell, who is one of the most influential farmers of the district, told the inspection party. EASILY 100 HERDS

It is reliably estimated that the herds now total 100, at least, so rapid has been the rate of increase since the first pairs were liberated in the valley by the Acclimatisation Society. The herds wander in numbers of 15 to 20 and travel far afield. A few of the animals have been seen even in the hills close to Taumarunui. The rapid growth of the herds rivals that of the droves of wild pigs which infest districts on the Wanganui River, within a comparatively short distance of Taumarunui. The wild pigs are the worst despoilers farmers on the river have to face. Hundreds have been killed on one property alone in a week. They uproot crops and are dangerous in the lambing season.

A South Island visitor who lias had experience with the menaced areas in Otago and Southland informed The Sun’s correspondent that, from his own observations, the position in the King Country was becoming increasingly serious. It was estimated that the total number of deer in New Zealand was enormous, possibly several millions. If the same rate of increase continued at Taringamotu Valley, the settlers would be powerless to keep the herds in check and the farmland would become virtually a deer run.