THE RABBIT PEST

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23859, 13 July 1939, Page 15

THE RABBIT PEST

TO THE EDITOR Sir, —As a visitor here, I have been reading the letters in your morning pager about the rabbit question, and thought it a good opportunity to ask why it is that more humane ways of killing the rabbit are not used. The phosphorus poisoning is terribly cruel, the animals suffering intensely. The steel trap is almost as bad. and inflicts a great deal of suffering. In Australia and Britain steel traps and all cruel methods are done away with, and humane methods used. If the methods I have just mentioned are thought cruel in Australia and Britain, why are they not treated in the same way here and scrapped? I am hoping that the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals here will take the matter up.—l am. etc.. British. TO THE EDITOR Sir,—With reference to the report which appeared in the Times on the 11th inst. under the heading “War On Rabbit Pest,” I note that a contrary view is given to the “ new scheme ” as outlined by Mr T. A. White, Dunedin placement officer. In my opinion this contrary view is not that of the majority of runholders and rabbiters, but by one interested in a profitable commodity who sees his handsome profits of the past being reduced to almost nil in the near future. But why, may I ask, should a commission agent reap his reward at the expense of the runholders? On the other hand I have seen no correspondence supporting Mr T. A. White’s scheme, therefore I do not know what the feeling of the runholders is. However. I do believe that 80 per cent, of the runholders can see a clear case of sheep versus rabbits, and that the latter must be eradicated for the beneficial results to sheep and pastures. As for the suggestion that amateurs would be employed under the new scheme, your informant must realise that a great many capable and experienced rabbiters now on public and other works were driven from the country to these jobs because of our refusal to pay handsome premiums to greedy runholders for the right to rabbit on their runs. Consequently, these greedy runholders and theit amateur rabbiters made an utter failure of keeping the pest in check, much to the disappointment of nearby runholders, who did do all in their power to preserve their stock and pastures. When rabbiting is taken out of the hands of farmers and runholders and brought under one organisation or controlling body, something will be achieved. Farmers will not have to worry about being prosecuted, or watch their pastures disappearing from the ravages of the pest, because experienced rabbiters will be placed under experienced supervision. My interpretation of Mr White’s scheme is that the Government will take charge of all rabbiting, rabbiters will be engaged on contract, rabbit skins become the property of the Government, £2 per hundred will be paid for all skins, whether big, small, hawktorn or damaged in any way. All experienced men on public works will be returned to their former occupation and rabbiting carried out right through the year. No scheme in its initial stages could be expected to be 100 per cent, perfect, but when we look back 35 years ago and compare the situation then with the present we find that we have not progressed very far in arriving at a solution of keeping the pest under control. Such a comparison favourably supports this new scheme, and, although critics will doubtless discover many imperfections, challenge many assertions, or disagree with the system advocated, I believe it will at least serve as the foundation upon which a more substantial work may be built in the future. No man serves any useful purpose by bottling up his ideas, however unorthodox or doubtful their value may seem. Development and progress are largely dependent upon accumulated observations, and the greater the testimony brought to bear upon the subject the greater becomes our knowledge of it; hence the reason for the development and progress of Mr White’s scheme. A question asked is who would trap at 3 price of £2 per 100 in winter? This is a question which involves one of the many pitfalls for the inexperienced rabbiter. The experienced rabbiter knows how useless it is to attempt trapping in hard, frosty ground, and he adopts other methods scientifically and methodically to suit the occasion, such as strychnine poisoning with carrots, or apples, oats or thistles, etc. As for the reference to Southland, where trapping is carried out throughout the summer, no mention is made of the method of destruction of the pest during winter. I remember, many years ago taking a block for winter rabbiting and for the life of me I could not understand why most of my catch had no tails, until one day I met the runholder, and I mentioned the fact to him during our conversation The cat was out of the bag and the antics of the runholder were as good as any play I have witnessed, for during those long summer months he paid to rabbiters El per 100 tails for the destruction of the pest, but instead of being destroyed the rabbits were released minus tail anc with a sore foot So therefore it is possible that all does caught in Southland are not destroyed for the obvious reason that next season’s supplies must be kept up. Strychnine poisoning would end this next season’s supply —I am. etc., Snowline.