POISON LAYING WARNING FROM LOCAL TRAPPER

Taupo Times, Volume XIV, Issue 68, 31 August 1965, Page 1

POISON LAYING WARNING FROM LOCAL TRAPPER

With the enthusiasm for outdoor activities increasing, trampers, bush picnickers and deerstalkers should he warned of the existence of deadly poisons sometimes found in bush areas, says a trapper working in the Taupo area. He said people should be told that any attractive looking preparations found lying on the ground or in any tree should be strictly avoided and left alone. "It has been reported that there has been illegal laying of deadly poison in Opepe Bush and other accessible bush areas near Taupo," he said. "To protect the public, cyanide poisons and deadly preparations of bait used for killing opossums come under the Deadly Poisons Act, 1960. "The regulations require | the district medical officer

of health to grant authority for the use of poisons to approved operators. All rabbit board employees and opossum trappers using or laying poisons, 1080 or cyanide, must comply with the poisons regulations under the act "Land owners' permission in writing and advertising in local newspapers is required to reduce danger to the public to a minimum. "Recent evidence of poisoned opossum, skinned hy poachers, has been found in areas where no such permissi/on had been granted or public precautions taken. "Opossum skins taken from animals that have been poisoned usually tell their own story. A violent death with no external bleeding causes the veins of the animal to show clearly in the skin and the skin takes on a reddish appearance. "Trapped animals, caught mostly with rabbit traps, have to be killed, which causes external bleeding. This drains the blood from the skin and prevents the reddish hue seen in poisoned skins."