THE KEA.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13975, 9 August 1909, Page 7

THE KEA.

A STRONG IXDICTME.N'T. At Friday's meeting of the Mackenzie County Council the following letter was read from Mr T. D. liumctt,-* of Mount Cook station:— ''l want the advice of your Council regarding tho curious anomaly that exists in the protection of keas on Tourist Department Keserves. It is common knowledge in the Tasman ..Valley, and has also been thought worthy—of— Press notices, that the Tourist partment at the Hermitage take jkt steps for their destruction, and discountenances any outsider doing so. _ This is a serious thing for me, as in the last •July storm, 1908, sixty" sheep'.. were t-ither worried or chased over rocks by these birds, and my people ariiiT I-rec-kon that we arc from £3OOO to ,£JOOO\ tho poorer through the worrying, ha-* bits of the kea. The position is similar»to that of a farmer who by persistent effort' keens his land free . from Californian thistle, only, to see it periodically reinfested through thistles being allowed to seed oh Government lands adjoining. During tho*-last-twelve months one hundred and forty keas have been killed up the Tasman aud Jollie gorges of this run, and while to-day the place is practically free/jn a fortnight there may be a score, .or two infesting it, and last autumn scores ■of keas frequented tho Government hots up the glaciers.- Would tlie". Council urge the Department to take - adequate measures for.the destruction of keas on their reserves, otherwise, their recent increased ; "kea beak" subsidy will be partly nullified; or fait-" ing wonM they advise me if- one has the right rto proceed on to Govern-" luent ground -in order to destroy- bjrdl* gazetted as noxious. Should- -any councillor doubt the truth of this statement regarding the protection of tho keas at the Hermitage, I would refer him to the " Weekly .Press" of February sth, 190 S. "It is perhaps not iienerally known that the kea is . a protected bird in the Mount Cook region, but the kea is apparently aware' of it. . . . " Also sub-leader*

"Timaru Herald," August 11th, 1006,:, favouring removal of all or slightestfunns of protection of kea at Hermitage or elsewhere. Also Professor Marriner in his- book " The Kea," book" notice received bv the Weekly Press; December 30th. * VMS . . - leaws. yon with ..the feeling that every h«-> wane person's hand should be against this cruel murderer, and that the j*;U: pinist who spent his holiday in shooting, trapping or -poisoning- kens deserve well of his country." The chairman said it was absurd that the Government should pay a si»fc~ fcidy for the destruction of the kea. :md at the sam'r time breed them.—. With this, all members agreed.

Mr Schlaepfer said he did not think the kea was protected. Mr Guthrie said it was not protected by proclamation, but it was protected by a side wind. The Government would not allow anyone to shoot over the land where the imported thar run, and under pretence of protecting the .thar (which nobody would shoot} the Government protected the keas because it was considered they are an attraction to tourists. It was said that the tourist guides make money out of the birds by selling them to tourists- at 10s each. Mr T. Smith said he knew the kea was protected about the Hermitage. The Council decided to forward a ropy of Mr Burnett's letter to tho Tourist Department, stating that keas are not being destroyed on Government property as they should be. and advising that"the Council fully supports Mrs Burnett's contentions. .