BACK-COUNTRY MENACE

Taranaki Daily News, 27 January 1934, Page 22 (Supplement)

BACK-COUNTRY MENACE

depredations of wild pigs, need for systematic hunting. (By “Tainui.”) Wild pigs continue to be a very serious menace to successful sheep farming operations in the backblocks hill country of Taranaki, taking very heavy toll of lambs, particularly where the sheep are pastured near bush some distance away from the homestead. Despite occasional hunting excursions by parties of young men from the districts affected and from the towns, wild pigs seem to be increasing at an. alarming rate, and apparently nothing but systematic hunting on a large scale by properly equipped parties will prove effective in coping with them. Some time ago a well-known settler in the Kohuratahi district, a wonderful shot,- used to wage war on the pigs, holding them in check to a certain degree, but since that property has been unoccupied the pigs have greatly increased. They are not confined to one particular area but seem to be plentiful right through the bush country in Taranaki’s hinterland. One ‘Kohuratahi farmer, Mr. G. Gower, whilst out mustering recently saw no fewer than 12 sows, each with a litter of about eight young on<»-g That indicates how pigs increase. He has suffered very severely from their depredations, as is shown by the fact that whereas he tallied 114 per .cent, of lambs from the rest of his property he tallied only 40 per cent, from a line of about 120 .'ewes pastured in a paddock close to the bush. Mr. B. Neustroski, a farmer residing at Aotuhia, a settlement down towards the Wanganui river, regards the pig menace as far more serious than the rabbit pest is ever • likely to be. The pigs besides their, depredations on the young lambs do very considerable damage by sooting up the pastures. Mr? Gower suggests that with a view

to coping with the menace the Govem- ' meat should subsidise unemployed' men to go after the pigs. The idea is a good one, but it must be remembered that there is probably only a small percentage of the unemployed capable of undertaking the work, which besides ' being very arduous is also hazardous, unless • the men possess the requisite qualifications arid equipment. The qualifications include a knowledge of how to look after themselves in Tough bush country and how to use a gun, for though the pigs now, lulled into a sense of security by the cessation of hostile operations, venture out into the clearings, once they '4 are systematically hunted they will take to the fastnesses of the bush. An essential part of the equipment, too, is the possession of good pig dogs. During the past few years the sheep farmer has been having a very parlous time and has not had the money to expend in taking the necessary protective measures. Now, however, sheep rre valuable and well worth protecting, whilst the greatly enhanced prices now ruling .will give the farmer a little more ready cash, and one can anticipate that from now on more resolute and less spasmodic war will be made on the pigs.