RANGITOTO BUSH LIFE

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25390, 13 January 1948, Page 4

RANGITOTO BUSH LIFE

CHANGES NOTED RECENTLY ’’The Press" Special Service AUCKLAND, January 12. Rangitoto Island has a growing population of wallabies, opossums, wild cats, stoats, and weasels, and decreasing numbers of birds and rats. Shy and rare inhabitants of the island are a few small deer which have ventured across from Motutapu Island. The wallabies and opossums are the tamest of the Rangitoto bush animals and many have made friends with holidaymakers and the dozen families who live on the island. A few years ago soldiers occupying the island found the number of rats unbearable and introduced some cats. These immigrants arid their progeny have taken to the bush and are responsible for the diminishing number of rats and may, with the stoats and weasels, be the cause of the ' scant population of birds, to which the island has never seemed very attractive.

Apart from the depredations of their natural enemies and occasional trapping, the island’s anifaials enjoy an immunity which would not be theirs on the mainland. Rangitoto is a public domain, and it is an offence to carry a firearm into a public domain. Botanists have been apprehensive of the damage the animals might do to the natural flora of the island. However, the domain board is more worried about the growth of self-sown exotic pines. These trees are growing in clumps, particularly in the portion of the island between Islington Bay and Rangitoto beacon. A tour of inspection will be made soon by the board, which is expected to appi-ove a programme for removing the exotics and preserving the native flora natural to the island. There is some evidence that the wallabies and deer have nipped off the tops of young shrubs. Growth has been excellent ’this year and the bush is in good condition.