GOATS ON THE MOUNTAIN

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 5 March 1935, Page 7

GOATS ON THE MOUNTAIN

DAMAGE CAUSED IN RESERVE. ANIMALS TO I3E DESTROYED. The ravages of goats on the mountain reserve was the subject of some discussion at the meeting of the Egmont National Park Board yesterday and it was decided to have the area one mile from the reserve declared a prohibited area as far as goats were concerned. The chairman, Mr W. C. Weston, was also deputed to arrange to have a man engaged to destroy all goats on the mountain, the board to find the ammunition and the man, who was to be constituted a granger, to have the skins for his own disposal. It was also suggested that the Governihent b'e- ; asked-for* legislation iii -(the matter. : t The problem before the meeting regarding the destruction of goats was rather an involved one. It cropped up from several quarters, including one from a resident of New Plymouth asking in a letter for a license to shoot goats on the reserve. This application was refused on the grounds that other game might be destroyed. Apparently, from the tenor of the letter and from some of the remarks passed by board members, there is a market value of Is 6d for goat skins, and tills appeared to be the reason for the application. It was reported that the goats from farms bordering on the reserve were a. positive menace, as in many instances there were no fences and the goats wandered at will on to the mountain reserve. The chairman stated that- over 6000' goats had been, destroyed on the reserve during the past two years, but .it whs: useless .doing this if there were no fences ■on the properties to keep them off.