Thread: Proposed 1080 drop for Raukumara Urutawa and Waioweka

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

Yes on the one hand trials but on the other flat denial that many birds are killed, this is the contradictory points I wished to hi-light. First hand on a property we owned, the entire Kea colony of 12 birds was wiped out. The Kakariki's also were killed.
At a guess Kea have a Matriarchal / Patriarchal flock structure that once upset destroys the colony to the extent that the old home range is not re-populated by surviving birds ?

There is Kakariki in other areas of Canterbury other than the Poulter and Hawdon that seem to proliferate in mast years
then have a drop in numbers once the predators get going.
With the amount of 1080 that has been dropped in the aforementioned valleys you would think the numbers of Kakariki would be better especially with the releases as well.
By memory the last 1080 operation in Arhurs Pass was a failure in terms of predators not killed according to the operators report.
Sadly the Poulter used to be good hunting with lots of Keas to annoy you.
When the first 1080 was getting used round Haast Dave Saxton was adamant it was killing the Kea, took the scientists a lot longer to work that one out.