Could this be your cat? … the two-day- long cruel & agonizing route to death by the govt-funded Class 1A Ecotoxin 1080 poison

A recent aerial 1080 drop in the Taranaki region has left somebody’s pet cat dead. Two weeks ago Cindy McArthur captured the image of this unfortunate animal in the Kaitake Ranges just as she found it & soon after the drop … in a position characteristic of any animal that dies this way … spine arched over and backwards. Other animals that died from 1080 can be seen below in a similar position.  Safe.org has an eye witness description on their site:

A witness to a possum poisoning commented:


”From about four hours after poisoning until death all lethally dosed possums exhibited spasms involving the limbs or body. Possums vocalised during spasms, tremors or seizures. Vocalisation was loud and prolonged. (Squeaking, gasping and gagging noises were also frequently heard during retching and terminal breathing.) Seizures included stiffening of limbs with hunching of the shoulders; jerks in limbs, head, abdomen or shoulder; leg paddling; rolling onto the back with a stiffened body; continuous body rolling; trembling; and rigidity of the entire body. Possums were sometimes propelled into the air by these movements…”

[Note: please do not ask has the cat been tested for 1080. This is not rocket science. Along with this unfortunate cat were other dead target & non-target animals also that Cindy photographed. Although the aim of your authorities dropping 1080 is to kill pests, in spite of their claims to the contrary they can’t target one species of animal over another.]  

1080 is not a humane way to kill any animal … death is painful, torturous and slow

Note some of the following photos link to videos of the animals dying. You may not want to watch them, but please don’t start up about the cruelty of the photographer not putting the animal out of its misery. The owner did not poison their own loved pet. Complain instead to your authorities for mandating this poison in the first place and educate yourself on the numbers dying in this cruel manner, all with their ‘blessing’. No owner likes to see this but the footage may at least wake people up to what is really happening to non-target animals, let alone target animals.

There is no arguing 1080 is cruel beyond imagination.

A 4 month old pup dying from 1080 poisoning (video by clairebetz77)

An unfortunate dog filmed during 1950s experimentation with the effects of 1080 poison (from 6min in the GrafBoys video)

Do these look like animals that died a quick, peaceful & merciful death?
For a further description of the agonizing progression to death they experienced see the GrafBoys’ video at 6 mins … you can hear Australia’s Dr Miranda Shirley (BSc PhD, MBBS RSPCA) speak.

In addition mothers die with their young or sometimes their surviving young are left to die from starvation. The dead lamb in the image below had drunk its mother’s poisoned milk & succumbed.

In a bungled Turangi aerial drop, four horses died, one of which had coughed up its own lungs reports Reihana Robinson in her book The Killing Nation! The Animal Welfare Act was tweaked to allow this kind of animal death from 1080 poisoning.

DoC would have you believe, in spite of their own documentation stating otherwise, that non-target animals do not die in 1080 drops.

This lamb died from drinking its mother’s poisoned milk (see GrafBoys’ video at 3.35 mins)

A Veterinarian has likened death by 1080 to two days of slow electrocution

A vet who is prepared to speak out is Dr Howard Ralph BVSc (Hons). MBBS (Hons), MVS (Wildlife Medicine), JCCA Accred (Anaesthesia), Dip TESL, A/D Fine Arts, Cert Ed NSW, Clinical Forensic M O, Manly Sydney, NSW, Australia

The following video is by Torvald Nagelhjelm of Clean Green NZ a voluntary organization. He cites images from the GrafBoys’ Poisoning Paradise.

Comparing death by 1080 to death by shooting

At the Poisoning Paradise blogspot by the GrafBoys you will see photos comparing the internal organs & other features, of two deer, one killed by 1080 poison and one that has been shot. There is a vast difference.

Here are two images from the site (see at the link for more):

lungs of the shot deer

lungs of the 1080 poisoned deer

RELATED: DEER POISONED WITH 1080 CAN EXPERIENCE EXPLODED INTERNAL ORGANS, THEY TEAR OPEN THEIR OWN STOMACHS WITH THEIR ANTLERS, BLOOD OOZES FROM EYES & NOSE & THEIR EYES POP OUT

What does the SPCA say?

For a long time environmentalists have asked why is the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) (my emphasis) not speaking out about this? Well they did recently emerge from the shadows to emit a warning that 1080 indeed inflicted a cruel death. However, the society was straight away roundly censured by Gareth Morgan who it appears does have a financial interest in 1080 through his association with Zero Invasive Predators (ZIP), a partnership between NEXT Foundation, and the Department of Conservation. Gareth’s particularly well known for his inclination to exterminate NZ’s cat population.

Thousands of non-target animals & birds suffer with every drop. Scientists (Dr Charles Eason, Dr Hugh Barr) estimate over 20,000 deer are killed every year in New Zealand by 1080, plus tens of thousands of native birds, and many pets and farm animals. See this link regarding a LandCare scientist’s estimate of 10K bird deaths in one drop, and this link for the loss of 570+ sheep in a bungled 1080 drop.

Watch video re cattle deaths in Waikato (the GrafBoys video)

What NZ’s authorities say about death by 1080 poison

Stuff reports (incredibly):

“In a 2011 report on 1080, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Dr Jan Wright said a report for the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee rated 1080 as “relatively humane”.”

The strategic use of the word ‘relatively’ of course leaves an unknown imaginary scope doesn’t it?

“1080 is classed by the World Health Organisation as an Extremely Hazardous pesticide (Class 1a WHO). You may not be aware that as such it falls within the category of Highly Hazardous Pesticides for which the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) is seeking a global phase out.

RELATED: AS OUTRAGED FORESTRY WORKERS ARE EXPOSED TO DEADLY AERIALLY DROPPED 1080 POISON PELLETS, EPRO OPERATOR ADVISES THEY ARE SAFE TO EAT!

In Conclusion

The lesson here people, considering your authorities think 1080 is fine & even propose it is not very dangerous for humans & (incredibly) can even be eaten …  is to be vigilant and watch the newspapers &/or check DoC’s website for 1080 drops in your area. If there’s one imminent, keep your pets indoors. Don’t walk them on leashes either. Dogs are particularly sensitive to it & a lick of by kill animals is enough from what I’m hearing, to cause fatal poisoning.

It isn’t safe any more people & the warning systems in place are not that thorough. Over & over we hear stories of people caught unawares.  It is being dumped into waterways and over the land from which water runs when it rains as we know.

Your safety & that of your animals can only really be guaranteed by your own vigilance.

EWR

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If you are new to the 1080 poisoning program, here is a good article to start with …WHY ARE PEOPLE SO CONCERNED ABOUT 1080?

A must watch also is Poisoning Paradise, the doco made by the GrafBoys (banned from screening on NZ TV, yet a 4x international award winner). Their website is tv-wild.com. Their doco is a very comprehensive overview with the independent science to illustrate the question marks that remain over the use of this poison. There are links also on our 1080 resources page to most of the groups, pages, sites etc that will provide you with further information.

Check out the 1080 pages at the main menu, particularly the sub tab, ‘suspected 1080 poisoning cases’. Finally, remember what the retired MD Charlie Baycroft said recently …‘if you die from 1080 poisoning, nobody will know  because the Ministry of Health is bullying NZ Doctors into not testing for 1080′. 

Note we don’t condone or advocate violence, & unlike those who support the use of 1080 poison we do not support cruelty to animals. As you have read in this article it can take up to two days for animals to die an agonizing death from 1080.

Now THAT is violence.