ARE THEY DOOMED?

Taranaki Daily News, 6 September 1929, Page 13

ARE THEY DOOMED?

NEW ZEALAND FORESTS the menace of deer. STARTLING FIGURES.

(By

No. I.

E. E. Muir.)

It is remarkable that wherever European overseas settlement has been established it has been accompanied by the wholesale destruction of the native flora and fauna. . And in no case, unfortunately, has this had greater application than in this Dominion of New Zealand. Here colonisation was presented with a country which was unique for its vast and invaluable timber resources, unrivalled Sylvan glories, and a native avifauna so rare, so varied, and so abundant as to make it the wonder of the world. On the other hand, with the exceptions of., the pig (introduced by Cook), the bush rat, and a small dog (brought here by the Maoris), and native bats, there were no terrestrial mammals. This was anothci’ cause for astonishment, and to a very large degree accounted for the immense extent and extraordinary growth of our forests and the variety and abundance of our bird life.

IGNORANCE PLEA NO LONGER GOOD

Not understanding, and, therefore, not fully appreciating what to them was wholly new, and not being guided by scientific opinion which had not had time- to investigate and advise them, the early pioneers proceeded to carve homes for themselves out of the bush, to cut down, burn, and destroy, and to create, importing domestic animals: and plants with which to maintain themselves, and thereby found the colony. Theirs was a formidable task, and splendidly they accomplished it, though of course, being human they made mistakes. In the early ’sixties, in order to counteract insect menaces brought about by the introduction of civilisation, there arose a demand for the importation of desirable birds and ani- . mals to keep the insects down. This was acceded to with-more or less favourable results. Next came the desire to make New Zealand “a sportsman’s paradise,” and so well has this policy been followed up that in many respects New Zealand has already become world-famous for what it offers devotees of rod and gun. A period of some 90 years having elapsed since New Zealand was founded as a British settlement, the plea of ignorance regarding the results of forest denudation and the ultimate effects of acclimatisation can scarcely be held out as an excuse any longer, and the question arises, therefore, as to whether the. time has not now fully arrived when we should collate the evidence, ascertain what mistakes, if any, have been made, and decide on a policy for the future, co-ordinating, in the national interests, whatever effort is required. It is the purpose of thin series of articles to stress the urgent need that exists for such an investigation.

“A CRISIS OF REAL MAGNITUDE.”

Though it is scarcely recognised at present, the most serious problem confronting New Zealand to-day as regards the preservation of its flora and remaining avifauna and the maintenance of its agricultural and pastoral industries is, as will be shown, the menace of deer and goats, plant-eating animals for whom, by an all-wise Providence, our forests were in no way designed, In fact, if a report by M; - . A. H. Perham, forest assistant, upon the number of deer in New Zealand, presented to Parliament in 1922, is to be in any way relied on it would seem that from deer alone the people of New Zealand are now in the position of facing a crisis of real magnitude, which, unless it is coped with at once, will, to put it very mildly, have the most serious and far-reaching effects. According to this report and progeny from 111 head of deer imported into New Zealand during the period 18611909 were estimated to number - 300,000 head in 1922, and had spread over great proportions of the North, South, and Stewart Islands. This estimate of 300,000 head in 1922 is important, and becomes emphatically more so when the. really significant statement in the report is added;.. “Herds probably increase by 25 per cent, annually.” So far the accuracy of neither of these statements has ever been challenged. But in view of the position that has been reached they are now . likely to undergo the closest investigation. Accepting the first statement as correct, that there were 300,000 head of deer in the Dominion in 1922, the issue, so far as eestimating the present and future position is concerned, lies in whether the statement that “herds probably increase by 25 per cent, annually” is based on anything like reliable information. NATURAL RATE OF INCREASE. On consulting the standaid work on deer, “The Deer of All Lands,” by R. Lydckker, the world’s foremost authority on the subject, it will be seen that, so far from being excessive, the estimate of an increase of 25 per cent, per annum is certainly on the conservative side. Discussing the propagation of deer in general Lydckker, on page 29 of his work, states: “Many of the larger and more specialised deer are comparatively slow breeders, for although the hinds frequently if not generally breed annually, yet it is seldom that, more than a single fawn is produced at a birth, twins being rare, while triplets are practically unknown.” Seeing that he infers later ” on that the sexes at birth are produced in practically equal numbers, though they notoriously do not pair so in the adult stage, this would seem to give deer in their native habitats a natural rate of increase of anything - from over 25 per cent, up to, say, 40 pcr cent. per annum. In their native countries, however, there are the climatic conditions and their, natural enemies to keep the numbers of deer down.

In New Zealand the varieties of deer now acclimatised are the Red, Fallow, Sambar, Wapiti, Moose, and Japanese, the Red and Fallow being by far the most numerous. Under these circumstances it is instructive to see what Lydekker has to say regarding then' natural rate of increase. As to this the following quotations, within the compass of a newspaper article, should suffice:

Red Deer (page 70): “The hinds breed in. their third year, and calve

when three years old, producing, with rare exceptions, but one at a birth, and remaining fertile, under favourable conditions, so long as they live. The sexes occur at birth in nearly equal proportions, but probably not more than half those born survive as yearlings, and the mortality of males seems to exceed that of females from an early age. A Jura hind, which was full grown, with a big fawn, when first ob-' served, retained all her teeth, and was still fertile 21 years later, when accidentally killed, having reared 20 fawns during the period of observation.” Fallow Deer (page 130): “As a rule only a single fawn is produced, although twins occasionally occur.” Wapiti (page 101): “In # the wild state the hind breeds when two' or three years old; the number of fawns at a birth being sometimes two, or rarely three, although one is most common.”

Sambar (page 150): “It is but seldom that more than one is produced at a birth.”

NO NATURAL ENEMIES HERE.

Remembering that in New Zealand there is a superabundance of feed for deer in our forests that the climatic conditions for rearing them are exceptionally favourable, and that with the exception of man, from whom so far they have been largely protected, there are no natural enemies for keeping them within reasonable numbers, is would appear that the estimate of an annual increase in the herds of probably 25 per cent, is by no means unreasonable. It may be more, but it docs not seem likely -to be less. Indeed, more than adequate evidence for the acceptance of-this estimate is to be found in the so far unchallenged statement that the number of deer surviving in New Zealand from the 111 head introduced between 1861 and 1909 totalled 300,000 in 1922.

- The next article, bfused on these figures, together with the latest culling return, kindly supplied by the Internal Affairs. Department, will give estimates of the probable number of deer in New Zealand to-day, and, if the present rate of increase is allowed to go on unchecked, the numbers five and ten years hence.