WILD PIG MENACE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20241, 29 April 1929, Page 12

WILD PIG MENACE.

back country problem.

HEAVY LOSSES OF LAMBS.

NEED FOR EFFECTIVE CONTROL.

Decimation, or worse, of many flocks at lambing time "was complained of by Whangamomona and adjacent settlers to the Minister of Public Works, lion. E. A. Ransom, on his recent visit to that locality.

The principal speaker said that the bonus of Is on each snout obtained during the lambing period, which was recently in force, had not been sufficient to attract people apart from the farmors to the task of destroying the pigs. He urged that the Government should offer an inducement, possibly a higher subsidy, and free ammunition, sufficient to bring in outsiders. A number of speakers agreed as to the seriousness of the position, but one of them stated that irresponsible outsiders coming on to the farms to hunt pigs would probably cause more harm than good, through disturbance of the flocks by untrained dogs and by wanton acts of destruction. Mr. W. G. Wilson said that some years ago he had docked only 16 lambs from 117 ewes in a paddock where the pigs were numerous. Since then he had realised tho danger and taken steps, but his average loss would bo 15 per cent, of lambs. Other settlors could quote similar experiences. The late Government had been paying Is a snout from July to September, tho idea no doubt boing to tide over the lambing period, but that was only playing with the thing. By the following season the pigs wero as bad, if not worse, than boforo. " Tho wild pig is an extremely sagacious animal, and being unused to prepared foods, will not touch poison," added Mr. Wilson, in response to a remark. 110 knew of one farmer who tried potatoes with detonators in them, the idea being that tho pigs would set off tho detonators when they chewed tho potatoes.

The Minister mentioned pig-proof fences, but Mr. Wilson said that they wero not efficacious. If the pigs did not root under them they found weak places and got through in spite of barbed wire.

The Minister said that with such a vast area to cover it would be extremely costly to attempt to exterminate them. Mr. Wilson asked that a larger bounty should be given all tho year round iri order to attract outside people to tho work of shooting them. " Re-settlo the land ana you will settle tho pig, otherwise the pig will settle tho settler," said another speaker. He thought that the walking off of settlers had been responsible for tho great increase in the number of pigs. Tho Minister said ho thought the several Government departments concerned would have to tako tho matter up and see whether, even if it was impossible to eradicate the pigs, some effective method of control could bo found.