The Rabbit Pest

Cromwell Argus, Volume LXVIII, Issue 3483, 23 August 1937, Page 6

The Rabbit Pest

PROTECTION OF NATURAL ENEMIES. FOB RESTORATION. A REMIT FROM CENTRAL OTAUO. A decision to ask the Minister of Agriculture (Mr W. Lee Martin) to pass legislation restoring the protection ou the natural enemies of the rabbit—stoats, weasels, ferrets and cats in Central Otago was made at the annual conference of the South Island rabbit boards. A similar motion was carried at the last annual conference in 11*30, when a letter was sent to the Minister asking him to bring down legislation pro tecting these animals. The Minister had replied advising the association that the decision lift the protection on stoats, weasels, etc., was made only after mature consideration, and it regretted that action on the lines desired by the association could not bo agreed to. The decision was originally made because of the harm that these animals did to bird life. A remit was presented to the conference by Mr 0. J. Spain, delegate from the Manuherikia Rabbit Board. The Minister had made a wholesale application of the Act without considering the prevalence or otherwise of native bird life in any particular district, Mr Spain said. It appeared that the Act w r as passed as a result of tho pressure exerted by various acclimatisation societies, whose interests alone had been considered. The extent to which the natural enemy was being destroyed could be seen in any stock agent’s sale room, where the skins of such animals had been offered for sale. In recent auctions there was a considerable amount of trading in skins of the natural enemies of the rabbit, Mr Spain continued. An inspection of stock agents’ sale rooms in Dunedin bad shown him that there were approximately 1000 skins of those animals offered at each sale. The Minister had stated that the lifting of tho protection on stoats and weasels would not alter the position as far as the natural enemy of the rabbit was concerned, but the present commercial value of the skins disproved the fact. Seconding the motion, the president (Mr A. Rittson Thomas) said that in the North Island it was considered that the natural enemy of the rabbit was absolutely useless. Members of the North Island Boards were strongly m favour of destroying all stoats and weasels. Personally, lie was in favour of the remit, as these animals kept the rabbit pest in check.