Stiffer penalties under new act

Press, 16 August 1978, Page 15

Stiffer penalties under new act

Parliamentary reporter The widespread concern over the way certain veni-son-recovery work was being done led to the replacement of the Noxious Animals Act, 1956, by the Wild Anima! Control Act, 1977, says the annua! report of the Director-Gen-eral of Forests, tabled in Parliament. The high prices obtained for game meats on overseas markets led to intense competition and invited poaching. This was made worse by the difficulty of policing helicopter activity in remote parts of New Zealand and by the minor nature of the penalties that would be incurred by offenders upon conviction. One of the main meas-

ures of the new act, effective from March 23, 1978, is a system of licensing. The hunting of wild animals by helicopter will be permitted by licensed operators only, whether engaged in recovery of animals from crownowned or private land. The Forest Service will be responsible for the issuing of all permits to enter Crown-owned land. The permits will be issued to licensed operators only and for a maximum period of 12 months. Greatly increased penalties are laid down for breaches of the act, such as the cancellation of all permits and licences, the confiscation of any animals taken, and a fine of up to $5OOO.