Tourism has much to answer for!

Press, 21 July 1976, Page 17

Tourism has much to answer for!

The Himalayan thar was introduced as a tourist attraction — and tourism is the main purpose of the high-country 7 "safari” runs, of which Lillybank, at the head of Lake Tekapo. is

the one in the limelight where thar are concerned. Lillybank is a station virtually given over to hunting activities. It was bought in 1970 by Trophy Guide Services — a group of Hamilton businessmen. Last year, the station’s manager (Mr G. D. Joll > said that 75 per cent of the station’s income came from safari hunting. Sheep and cattle numbers had been run down drastically to allow for more game animals.

But. last year Lillybank came into direct confrontation with the Government The then Minister of Forests (Mr Moyle) had warned safari run-holders that if they did not reduce their noxious animal population. the Government would. Lillybank, he said, was carrying 3500 to 4000 thar.

Mr Joll stood firm, disputing the statement that thar numbers had reached “alarming proportions,” and said he had the population reduction in hand. The Forest Service went in on a Sunday morning in September, in a “commando raid,” according to Mr Joll. They gave him no warning, contrary to a promise. and carried three foolscap pages of instructions on the operation. Mr Joll called in the Tekapo policeman and ordered them off the property under the Trespass Act. News reports of the situation after that are a little confused, except that although the shooters did not leave immediately, the shooting was stopped.

Mr Joll had gone straight to the Minister, and his local M.P. (Mr R. L. G. Talbot) had interceded for him with an immediate telegram to Wellington. The upshot of all this was that Mr Golden, of the Catchment Authorities Association, saw fit to call the whole affair, and the Ministerial ultimatum, “a damp squib .”

This year. however things may be different

Last month, the f-ands Settlement Board served notice to Mr Joll that, safari operations on Lillybank had to cease forthwith. Presumably, Mr Joll will not be taking this lying down. However, according to the office of the Minister of Lands last w ed. tl < Forest Service shooters are waiting only for the snow s to come down, and will go on to Lillybank next month. The situation might not end there. The Ministry said last w eek that it “goes along with” last years Labour Government caucu committee report on noxious animals. and would be implementing this when pressure of legislation allowed. The report, has been criticised by various interested scientists, as containing "generalisa tions.” particularly w here runholders are concerned And both Mr Joll and the deerstalkers’ petition have the support of Mr Talbot, the National MP for South Canterbury, who presumably, is closer to the ministerial ear than he was last year.

One of the scientists’ main objecttons is that the report would permit safari hunting under licence, subject to suitable conditions And it emphasises “effective control” of noxious animals, allowing a limited population in certain cases “even though the presence will cause some modification to the vegetation." As a counter, though, the report has some hard words to say about safan hunting: “. . . There is a natural tendency where the operator has rights over the land, for the animal population to be main tained at levels that ensure the success of the enterprise, rather than at levels compatible with good land management." This “natural tendency” must at times be an attractive one. Exact charges are hard to establish, but a day chasing thar, with the guarantee of a kill, has been variously reported a' costing (usually an American or Japanese) between $l5O and $l5OO.