Cyanide laid on track

Waimarino Bulletin, 26 July 1988, Page 1

Cyanide laid on track

Cyanide opossum poison has been laid on a popular walking track in the Whanganui National Park.

Conservation Officer Peter Bourke told the Bulletin last week that he had received complaints about large amounts of poison laid down the middle of the Mangapurua Valley Track, which leads to the Bridge to Nowhere. He said the practice was illegal and very dangerous as the track was now popular with families with young 'children.

"The hunters were obviously very inexperienced because the baits were far too big," said Mr Bourke. He said very large amounts of bait had been smeared on rocks down the middle of the track which had not been washed away even after five millimetres o f rain. It would be very easy for a child or even an adult to accidentally

handle the baits, said Mr Bourke. He said he knew of one pig hunter's dog that had been killed by the cyanide poison laid on the track. No hunting permits had been issued for the area. Mr Bourke said anyone caught laying cyanide poison closer than 60 metres from a track can be fined up to $2000 and have their poison licence taken away. He said the poison had been killing opos-

sums all week. Hunters usually leave poison for two to three days, then pick up their opossums and destroy the baits. Such large amounts of poison if left would remain until a torrential rain storm, said M r Bourke. He said the practice can m a k e opossums poison shy, making it harder to use cyanide in the future. "This was a very amateurish job," said M r Bourke. "You don't slather it on walking tracks."