Substantial Fines For Shooting Of Pigeons

Taupo Times, Volume VI, Issue 288, 15 August 1957, Page 1

Substantial Fines For

Shooting Of Pigeons

Substantiai iines were imposed by Mr W A, Haflow, S.M.. in Taupo Court upon four defendants for having in their possession absolptely protected wild-life (native pigeons). The inagistrate said it would niake the shooting of native pigeons expensive, and not worth whiie, ! A hue of £12 and costs £1 was Inij posed upon Graham J>avid I'roebstel, I who had pleaded guilty to having in his [ possession a native pigeon at Tuek's ! Pusli Iload on June 8. Itohert llenry Beams was finrd a similar amounr. Mr P. ,J. iVurslall. who prnseeuted for the Wild Life Division of the lnternal Affaii's Department, -snjd the pnrfment took a serions view of tlie shooting of native pige ms. RIFLE ON SK AT Ile said that at 1.1.3 p.m. on June 8 a rariger stopped a vehiele coming out of Tuek's Iload at Tarawera, and qucstioned the oecupant. There was a .22 ritie lying on the front seat, and the ranger found a dead pigeon in ihe glove hox. Beams said he had taken the pigeoii, Mr Burstali said. Ile asked that if the Magistrate decided to convict, the rifle should he forfeited. Under the Wiild Life Act, 1933, there was a maximum penalty of £30 plus £2 for every bird taken. Mr Har'ow: As far as ihe pigeon is coneerned, it is foi-feited hy an Act of Parliament automatieally. Beams said that he and Preeb- ; stel were out pig-shootiug, aiici wheu they saw ihe pigeon "it was too big a temiitationA He asked the magisti*ate not to ordei seizure of the rifle. Mr Harlo.w said subsequently that had there been a previous ennvietioii for a similar offence, forfeiture of the rifle would have been ordered. PLUCKED PIGEOX Ilegarding Proehstel's case, Mr Burstali said that the same ranger sropped another car a few minutes hefore. There was a .22 ritie and a .410 simt- | gmi on tlie front seat. Tlie ranger ' lound a plucked native pigeon wrapp:ed in a newsi)aper. "The ranger asked defendant if ne had sliot tlre pigeon, and Proebstel re])lied that he had done so on tne spcii' of the momeiif. I ask that the .22 rifle should he seized," Mr Burstali said. Proebstel said he was shooting hares at the time. The pigeons flew on to a branch, and tlie temptation was too great to resist. Proebstel tohi the inagistrate there would be "no next time." It had been a lesson to him. Mr Harlow said that if there had

been wholesale shooting of pigeons, ' forfeiture of the rities would have been i inevitable. A second coiiviction would mean forfeitilre of the ritie. "Don'f think yoti are going to get off ligbtly, liowever. You will be fined £12 and costs £1; that makes shooting of native pigeons expensive. And remember ; any more of this sort of j thing, the ritie goes, too." POI RT WARMNG Jim Hemara, of To Rimu, and Maru Maniopoio. of To Rangiita, were ea.ch fined £12 and costs £1 for hunting or kilUng ahsolutely protected wild lit'e. Goncerning fhose two eases Mr Burstali said that on June 3 two rangers went to To Rimu mill-workings. They | saw a parked car, looked iiisido and found a .303 ritie. They walked into the busli area and heard 17 shots tired from a .22 rifle. "Al)out 13 minutes later four youths i carrying three rifles and two native ' pigeons caiiie out of the bushj' he contimied. "Oue of the rangers approached them and asked them for the birds. Ile asked them who shot tlie birds, and Ilemara and Maniopoto admitted they had shot oue each. "Tlie two birds were seized, together | with two .22 rifles. Neiflier of the defendants has had previous convictions." When questioned hy the court re- | gistrar, neither Hemara nor Maniopoto had any thing to say. "I want to waro you both," Mr Harlow said before he fined theiii, that if you eome up again on similar eharges, not only will the fines be heavy, but you may exr?ct to have your rifles forfeited. "I hope you will realise it is a very expensive business, shooting native ; pigeons: that it isn't worth \vliile."