Thread: TB in possums - not many if any

Interesting article, only 54 possums out of 124,213 possums over 9 years had TB

Lack of disease raises questions over possum killing, poison drops - National - NZ Herald News

Not surprised by that, I've killed, skinned and chopped up a few thousand possums, never seen one with obvious lesions, cysts or signs of TB. I have spoken with possumers who have though.

Uncontrolled stock movements is by far the worst culprit for TB spread.

Possums still need to be controlled, using TB as an excuse is now pretty debatable, we all know that. The fact that they eat our native bush and do a fair bit of damage is also something we know, hence the need for control.

Like any pest they need a variety of methods implemented to really put a dent in their numbers. One method alone won't work.

The "reasons" portrayed to the general public by DoC and the media for the most recent 1080 drops has shifted significantly though...from possums and TB being the "need", to a focus on "battle for the birds" and killing rats and mice.

In the near future I don't see a reduction in aerial 1080 operations, I would like to, but can't see it happening. One day hopefully they'll see that 40 odd years of dropping poison everywhere willy nilly, every few years, hasn't actually worked.

Hopefully we will see a shift to more focussed or aimed methods of eliminating pests, but with some of the shiny bummed office folk running DoC in charge, I don't see it happening soon.

I reckon one of the reasons we continue to see NZ being poisoned wholesale is that the Ministers of Conservation and MPI respectively do not want to be the ones that carry the can for all their predecessors support of the bullshit that surrounds the 1080 poison use scam. The worms are squirming. Take a look at this link.

03.06.15 - General Debate - Part 4 | In The House

03.06.15 - General Debate - Part 4 | In The House

Questions .What if all the animals , birds and fish were killed in this country
What if there was nothing left to kill for the table
What if `as there's nothing left to kill, we don't need firearms
What if the banks or safe pay who runs eftpos shut down like it did in Taupo the other day
How could you survive
I think now someone has control

You can add you ideas to this from outside the square, sort of speak and I will get some flack but I can handle it

Don't think it's a sinister plot to be honest. Incompetence is very nearly as dangerous though

1080 seems to draw all the nut bags up. Jesus fucking christ seriously.

Go put on your tin foil hat the goverment isnt going to do any of that shit ffs.

Guns only for killing? What about all our target shooting sports? Small bore full bore shotguns pistols and so on.

Get a hold on life ffs

BAN 1080!!

My dad was a stock agent, when they backed of tb vector control a few decades back, lots of properties became infected. He said he could name 5 farmers who committed suicide when tb took their livelihoods away.

When I talk to him about it he always says "people have short memories"

Kj

+1 agree on banning explore other avenues, it's 2015 FFS.

Originally Posted by kimjon

My dad was a stock agent, when they backed of tb vector control a few decades back, lots of properties became infected. He said he could name 5 farmers who committed suicide when tb took their livelihoods away.

When I talk to him about it he always says "people have short memories"

Kj

Yes. I had a beef herd under TB movement control as did many others' in our area. Got a drought on top of the movement restrictions and I was praying for 1080 and a clean up of 'possums.
The ban 1080 brigade are in wonderland. Its emotional thinking.
Restrictions on 1080 I could agree with, but banning is bananas. At the very least until there is a viable alternative.

If you have had to deal with TB, one alive infected 'possum is one too many.

Infected cattle are far more of a threat than possums. These are figures provided by MPI.

Tb detected in opossums by year
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11
2011-12
2012-13
2013-14
2014-15
Source: Primary Industries. Minister Nathan Guy
Possums surveyed per year
4871
13,874
23,339
17,576
25,103
18,682
10,930
9838

Tb found by year in surveyed possums
09
6
1
9
12
17

Movement of cattle is without doubt the major cause of bTB infections, including into wildlife. piss poor unreliable bTB tests are only accurate to plus or minus 20% of stock. It is well known that bTB clears can test positive and bTB infected animals can test negative. many farmers have been unwittingly buying infected stock from other farmers who also may be assuming the cattle are clear when in fact they are not. The very low incidence of possums infected with bTB prove that the biggest problem lies within the farming industry itself, and with the poor real performance of the AHB / TB free NZ. Possums have too long been a very convenient excuse to apply mass poison applications over vast areas of our country.

We've put a man on the moon, built Concorde, have Dreamliners and A380s, the shuttle, battery cars and planes, higher and higher buildings, faster and faster trains, bigger ships, the World Wide Web, GPS. Amazing computers and phones. Shoot 50 cals off the shoulder etc etc etc, technical and pharmaceutical advances it goes on and on, but we haven't found a better way than 1080 to control opposums, what a fuck up!

Haven't cured the common cold yet though

Takwe ya fliuppers offf pengy