Thread: Help Stop 1080, please sign

Originally Posted by bing

It's not quite that straight forward which is why deer are classed as feral pests as are goats and pigs etc. (act passed in 1969). We (NZ) have spent generations and untold amounts of cash and man hours trying to keep animals in some sort of check. As per the guys on the hill before me, I cull as much as gather meat and see this as something of an obligation.

The end results of deer in the bush is no bush - period. Not to mention massive soil erosion and degradation of water courses and aquatic life. Deer, given the opportunity reduce forests to open grass lands in fairly short order. A good example of this is the
opening up and changing of open grass land to forested land ratio in Yellowstone park where Elk felt free to do their thing in relative peace as wolves had been eliminated from the park. The re introduction of wolves changed the whole pattern of re vegetation as the Elk were driven back to more densely forested areas and the new saplings had a chance to make it to a height that ensured the growing tips could not be browsed.

Birds are just one part of the bio diversity picture. Much of which we have little understanding of. We do know some of the complex role that birds play in the health and reforestation / maintenance of bush in margins and slip areas. As I understand it, bio diversity is the name of the preservation game as this is where much of our medical research starts from and we have no idea what else is yet to be discovered through the research into the flora and insect life that makes up our bush. It may not be as intense and as packed as the south east Asian rain forest but it is significant and like nothing else anywhere in the world - unique and with a unique potential.

I’m 99% sure deer are not classed as “pests”.