Future of the surviving thar still to be decided

Press, 26 October 1984, Page 17

Future of the surviving thar still to be decided

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

No problem has divided ■ recreational hunters and conservationists as sharply in recent years as the debate about what should be done with the population of Himalayan thar in the Southern Alps. The animals were first introduced near Mount Cook in 1904. For the first 30 years the spread of thar along the eastern slopes of the mountains, but later along the western slopes too, was virtually unimpeded by man. Until 1930 they were actually protected under legislation such as the Animals Protection and Game Act, 1922.

Eventually, the damage they were causing to alpine vegetation in the fragile ecosystems of the high and steep mountain faces became apparent and control measures were begun. Protection by legislation was repealed in 1930 and the first Government control operation in 1937 by ground hunters accounted for 2765 thar. Such operations continued on the eastern side every year into the 19605, and until 1970 in the Hokitika catchment on the west. They are believed to have accounted for about 25,000 thar. As well, an unknown but significant number were shot by recreational hunters. In spite of these efforts, thar continued to spread. They trebled their breeding range between 1936

and 1956, and remained in high numbers in many parts of this range in spite of the countermeasures taken. From 1960-64, a series of trials were done to poison thar, using chopped carrot baits impregnated with 1080 poison sown from the air. One trial found this method killed only 51 per cent of thar in the trial area, and was stopped. In 1967, the Forest Service shot 400 thar in four hours of flying, and this method of using a helicopter as a shooting platform has continued.

After 1971, a market developed in Germany for thar meat. Many established commercial deer-recov-ery helicopter hunters began hunting thar, especially in the winter months. Since then, about 90 per cent of the thar population has been shot — reaching a peak of 10,000 in 1974. By 1982, it had sunk back to about 1000 a year. It is thought there are about 1000 thar left. For the last five years, Forest Service thar control operations have been restricted largely to the eastern side of the Alps. Special emphasis has been put on limiting the spread of thar north of the Rakaia River, south of the Landsborough and Hunter Rivers, and in Mount Cook National park. Large

areas of unoccupied Crown Land and leasehold high country runs have also been inspected and hunted regularly. Some runholders have developed safari hunting and, later, game park hunting of thar. There has been some live capture of thar to stock these game parks, but this has had little effect on the remaining thar population. In August, 1983, the then Minister of Forests, Mr Elworthy, approved a moratorium on all commercial carcase recovery operations, live captures on Crown Land, or Forest Service control measures outside three exempted areas:— • Mount Cook National Park; ® The headwaters of the Rakaia and Whitcombe Rivers, and any areas to their north; ® The ridge between the Hunter and Ahuriri Valleys, and any areas to their south.

This moratorium was set up so an assessment of thar distribution and density could be done, by the Forestry Research Institute. In the 12 months available to it, its 39page report has collected data that is sketchy in some respects.

However, it was considered reliable enough for all the interested parties to come together to discuss it and consider future options for the thar. This meeting was held in Wellington earlier this month, and was thought to be the first time those with a direct interest in thar had gathered around one table. The meeting considered the complete range of options for the thar

— from total eradication to a permanent moratorium on commercial hunting. The minutes of the meeting will be made available to the new Minister of Lands and Forests, Mr Wetere, to help him decide what to do about the problem.

Because of the way the meeting was set up, and because not all interested parties were able to attend (although most made written comments), it was not possible to get resolutions from the meeting — or anything resembling definite recommendations.

The report gave details of the contraction of the thar herd between 1976 and 1984. Numbers are very low on the western slopes and in most areas to the east. The

highest numbers are now in the Rangitata, Godley, and Macaulay catchments, and the Two Thumb Range. This is mostly private land or Crown leasehold where there has been less commercial, Forest Service,, and recreational hunting than elsewhere. But for conservationists, this downturn in thar numbers has its bad side. Low densities have improved food supplies and the thar is now breeding furiously. The population can be expected to double, at least, every five years the moratorium continues and no significant hunting takes place. Mr Wetere does not have a great deal of time in which to make up his mind. The Forest Research Institute was not asked to make any recommendations but has, in fact, made five:

1. Future thar control on the southern boundaries should include those areas in the south-west of the Landsborough and Clarke Rivers in Westland (into which thar may spread). 2. The age, and reproductive state of female thar shot in official control operations should be recorded, especially on the periphery of the range. Just having males

alone does not require control action. 3. Two more study catchments should be set up in Canterbury, in the Macaulay catchment and on the Two Thumb Range. 4. An effort should be made to get further information on future harvests of thar, especially from within each of the study catchments. 5. The catchments used in this study should be re-observed at least every five years. However, the report did stop short of making any recommendations on the fate of the thar — including official control, commercial, recreational or safari hunting. That was- left to the meeting in Wellington to thrash out.