Mangere Island

Forest and Bird, Issue 297, 1 August 2000, Page 3

Mangere Island

Papakura.

Dick Veitch,

I read the Chatham Island article by Dean Baigent-Mercer with interest but would like to put two questions. The article states ‘After cats were removed...’ | would love to receive evidence that someone actually removed the cats. It has long been our belief that there was no deliberate human action and the cats died out after consuming (and eradicating) their rabbit prey and a significant portion of the winter-breeding petrels. Also "The endangered Chatham Island oystercatcher has been successfully reintroduced... I think this is a false statement. There has always been very limited oystercatcher habitat on Mangere with usually space for only one pair and they would often not rear young.

Dean Baigent-Mercer comments: In an old Mangere Island dwelling there had been the statement ‘last 2 cats caught on top plateau 1949’ written on a wall. Someone transferred this statement to the Mangere log book which I decided to write as fact. There is conflicting opinion, however; as Dick Veitch points out some say the cats may have persisted until the early 1970s before they starved. Regarding the ‘reintroduction’ of Chatham Island oystercatcher to Mangere Island, this information came from DoC staff. My guess is this mistake happened as a result of institutional knowledge being lost over time.