Forest Conservation and Opossums

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 August 1946, Page 2

Forest Conservation and Opossums

[TO THE EDITOR.] Sir,—-Although appreciative. of Mr. Kehoe’s .interest in our wild life and flora, might I point out that words bandied through the correspondence columns are of no material assistance and certainly will not kill one opossum. I would suggest to Mr. Kehoe that there is a place for his enthusiasm and energy on the council of the local Acclimatisation Society, where his knowledge and guidance would help in a practical way. . . . Over a period of years I have been a keen observer of our fauna and flora, particularly in the Coast district. I have traversed periodically the streams and mountains west of the divide. It is quite obvious that man’s interference With the balance of nature is indirectly responsible for our diminishing flora, but contrary to accepted opinion the aecliihatisation societies have not been responsible for the introduction into New Zealand of deer, opossums, goats, weasels, stoats, and many other pests. In the light of the society’s activities over the past five years; Mr. Kehoe’s statement that opossums are being farmed hardly requires refuting. Despite the fact that opossum revenue has reached at times £lOO annually, some five years ago the society was awake to the destruction of our forests by these pests and set out to check their increase. Although at that time the Minister of Internal Affairs refused permission to introduce a better quality skin, to-day’s increased market value for skins has proved beyond doubt that the society was on the fight track. In past years trappers have taken from 12,000 to 20,000 skins annually, but this year many more trappers have been induced to operate and are collecting thousands of skins. Therefore it is reasonable to assume that if the opossum population carried a sprinkling of blues and greys, trappers would work harder’ in pursuit of these prized skins and by doing so kill many more thousands of the poorer quality. The additional t r aps set would not only deplete the opossum population, but would be the meahs of destroying thousands of other bush vermin—weasels; stoats, fats, etc. (15 trappers last year caught over 1000 such pests). Whilst I am enlightening Mr. Kehoe on the society’s endeavours to check the increase of opossums, it may be as well to point out that this society was one of the primary agitators in having the trapping fee reduced to a nominal amount, the waiving of stamping, and the increased season from two to five months. What is Mr. Kehoe doing in a positive way to attack this army of 1,000,000 opossums (his figures)? It he knew his West Coast bush as 1 do, he would readily dgree that it is absolutely impossible to eradicate this pest, which is firmly established in almost inaccessible territory. As there is no natural enemy, this vermin can be held in check only by such action as the societies are taking —Yours, etc., A,. DALZIEL. Greymouth, August 12.

[TO THE EDITOR.] ..... T Sir, —As reported in your paper, I was instructed at a recent meeting of the council of my society, to write to Mr. E. L. Kehoe concerning . allegations made against the society in his pamphlet “Behold Your Native Forests.” As Mr. Kehoe has chosen to anticipate my letter by Correspondence in your columns, I have no alternative but to adopt the same procedure. Far from loving the opossums, as Mr. Kehoe alleges in his pamphlet, my society endeavoured for many years to have removed all restrictions against the taking Of them. It was only 'after repeated failures to have any alterations made to the Opossum Regulations that the suggestion was made that if we must have the opossum, then it was advisable to have a higher grade of skin so as to encourage trapping and at least keep down the numbers of opossums, which were at that time rapidly increasing owing to the lack of incentive to trappers. It was for this reason that application was made for permission to import blues and greys, not from Australia as Mr. Kehoe states, but from other parts of New Zealand where they were already established. I fail to see anything tortuous in this reasoning, Or naive in this attitude in view of the society’s failure after repeated attempts to have other measures introduced for the control or eradication of the opossum. However, the application was refused and the earlier efforts for amendment of the regulations were renewed. This year a partial measure of success was attained, an extended season being granted to trappers, the licence fee being reduced to 10/-, State forest blocks being balloted for at 2/6 fee instead of being let to the highest tenderer as previously, and various restrictive requirements being abolished. The result has been an unprecedented demand for licences and permits. But Mr. Kehoe does not approve of the activities of the opposum trapper because, he says, large numbers of kiwis have been killed or maimed in the traps (an exaggeration surely). He would evidently prefer that both opossums and ether vermin be allowed to increase unhampered by trapping, while he endeavours to persuade the controlling ■ authorities to conduct a war of extermination, something the society has not been able to accomplish after years of effort. It is true that an occasional kiwi is taken in a trap, rarely with fatal results. It is equally true, however, that very large numbers of rats, stoats and other vermin which prey upon our native bird life, are destroyed in the traps each year,, A questionnaire issued this year to trappers by the Department of Internal Affairs will provide valuable data in this connection.

Mr. Kehoe’s pamphlet does offer something constructive on forest conservation. On the subject of the opossum menace, he does not offer and never has offered anything but vague generalities and destructive criticism of those who, with the same aims as his own, have at least succeeded in accomplishing something towards those aims. His sincerity and his love of New Zealand forest and bird life are not doubted and if he has any concrete proposals to put forward for the eradication or control of opossums and other vermin, they would be welcomed. Yours, etc. M. RAYMOND BUNT. Secretary, Grey District Acclimatisation Society.