Department of Conservation Driving Kea to Extinction.

kea

Press release.  2/3/2020

NZ Outdoors Party.

NZ Outdoors Party Logo

AND THEN THERE WERE NONE.

“The Department of Conservation is systematically killing the few remaining Kea in New Zealand, while begging Parliament for more funds to finish the job off.” said Alan Simmons co-leader of the NZ Outdoors party.  “Last year they killed 2 out of 15 monitored kea in a single poison operation in the Perth Valley on the West Coast.  Despite complaints from concerned conservationists around the country on the rapidly vanishing Kea, the Department of Conservation continues undeterred with the industrial scale helicopter spreading of poison over our beautiful mountains, forests and river.

The latest operation in the Matukituki Valley  has killed 6 out of 12 monitored kea, so it would be safe to assume they have exterminated 50% of all the kea in that area.

This is consistent with other poison ecocide of our native kea  when they killed 20% of the monitored kea in the Whataroa valley (https://outdoorsparty.co.nz/1279-2/), 50% of monitored kea (including one of their most highly prolific breeders) in Nelson Lakes,  decimating the kea at Arthur’s Pass years and in Okarito.

Alan said “Forget climate change, habitat destruction, and allegations of predators such as possums eating eggs,  the Department of Conservation itself is driving one of the world’s most iconic birds to extinction.

The NZ Outdoors Party has made a formal complaint and Official Information Request to DOC seeking an immediate moratorium on the use of 1080 poison and an explanation of apparent breaches of the Wildlife Act by the Department of Conservation and others involved in the poisoning in what its Kea Code of Practice identifies as a high risk “scrounge influenced” area. “The Department of Conservation’s many excuses and its on-going poisoning of our wildlife must stop now” says high profile environmental lawyer and NZ Outdoors Party co-leader Sue Grey. “Killing even a single native bird is a serious criminal offence. This wholesale and reckless slaughter and disregard for our laws by our public servants and elected representatives  is unacceptable and sends completely the wrong message to New Zealanders who are concerned about violence and animal cruelty.”

The NZ Outdoors Party is committed to holding the government to account on its use of poison. Our government must respect the law and be accountable to New Zealand voters.

Ends

Further Information.

Alan Simmons Co-leader  0274 980 304

Sue Grey. Co-Leader   m022 691 0586

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Alan Simmons

Alan Simmons

President & Co-Leader Alan has dedicated a lifetime of involvement in outdoors political issues. He’s sat on a number of national body executives, boards, NGO and management groups, including the NZ Professional Hunting Guides Association, Electricorp Environmental Management Board, NZ Federation of Freshwater Anglers and the NZ Professional Fishing Guides Association. Many will know him through his website, the hugely popular New Zealand FishnHunt forum.

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