Thread: Otago University needs Feral Pig DNA Samples

Originally Posted by Inger

Yes, as I've said, the Rare Breeds Conservation Society has had it's run-ins with DoC in the past. We managed to save the Enderby cattle from extinction. It was very difficult and required cloning to start with, but we now have three naturally breeding herds, with semen still in storage, in case we need more genetic diversity in future years. They are a wild breed of course, so it takes an experienced cattle handler to keep themselves safe from the bulls. The first bull - Derby, had to put put down eventually (once he'd provided us with enough daughters) as he had no fear of humans and became completely dangerous. Hand raised Enderby bull look like being another one of those animals that you don't keep entire.

We don't have any worries about the Arapawa goats becoming extinct, as we have a number being bred in captivity now and some have been sent to the States and work is in progress to export some to the UK, where they originated from and no longer exist. There are still goats on Arapawa Island, on a sanctuary, which is now part of a Trust that has been set up for the preservation of the animals that have been on the Island over 100 years. So seed stock is still available if numbers on the mainland drop too low. Since the goats make amazing pets, that isn't likely to happen.

We saved the Auckland Island pigs from extinction, by rescuing a good number of them and taking them to a quarantine facility, where they have been kept free of any pig diseases that they would have had no immunity against, after being isolated on the Auckland Islands for over 100 years.

It is a pity that the Thar weren't live captured, for sending back to the Himalayas, instead of being shot. That was very short sited of DoC. Thankfully they were stopped before they killed them out completely.

They have learnt though. When they wanted to clear the wallabies off Great Barrier Island, they invited an Australian Conservation group to come over and capture a number which were in good health and take them back to Australia, where they are endangered, before eradicating the rest. So I'm more optimistic that there is a change in that Department, that they are realising that non-indigenous species still have value to a sector of NZers and to the country of origin of those species.

Our Society is working to improve the education of the Ministry of Conservation and we do apply pressure to them, to realise that most other countries in the world are working hard to keep their genetic diversity and that it's not only our native wildlife and our commercial breeds that are important for NZs future. All genetically different breeds are important to preserve, even if it means that non-profit organisations like ours have to do the work involved to ensure we retain a gene pool of unique NZ breeds.

We are now storing semen of the Drysdale sheep, as their unique wool type is no longer commercially useful. The production and sale of natural wool carpets has reduced so markedly, that there are only a couple of factories still making wool carpets in NZ. Still, the Drysdale mutation can't be allowed to die out, just in case the economic climate comes around full circle and that type of wool is in demand again. As it only requires one of the mutated genes in the offspring to produce the Drysdale wool type, the semen we will have stored, can be used to kick-start a large flock, by inseminating any suitable wool breed of sheep. So we have an insurance for the future, if the last Drysdale flock dies out.

So, though we can't anticipate the working of Government Departments, we can at least mitigate the damage they can do, by keeping communications going between them and the Rare Breeds Society and saving small populations of 'pest animals' where we can. There are people in the Department of Conservation that are sensitive to the work of the Rare Breeds Society and will work with us to achieve a favourable result. The tide is turning, but as is typical, change happens slowly.

Thanks 'Inger' that was a most interesting and comprehensive explanation of what you people are trying to achieve.

I will see if I can work the magic for you but you see how difficult it is my pig hunting mate is even more suspicious than I am. Are frozen Pork samples any good or do you need an ear