WET JACKET PENINSULAS, FIORDLAND, AERIAL 1080 POISON DROP STARTS – WEEP FOR THE KEA!
By Carol Sawyer
“So, here they are again and this time DoC have done a wee conjuring trick and say it is for stoats (there being no rats). Stoats don’t eat 1080 baits.”
“We have an estimated 1,000 Kea left in the wild in New Zealand….. in the whole world in fact, as they are endemic – i.e.they exist only here! The latest 1080 poison drop in the Matukituki Valley, Mt Aspiring National Park, February 2020, killed 50% of the Kea. More than that will die in the Wet Jacket Peninsulas drop because it is midwinter and the Kea are very hungry.”
Do you know what happens to 1080-poisoned Kea? They stagger around taking hours and hours to die. They bury their heads in the snow to try and get relief from the pain. Dr.Jo Pollard says “The keas’ deaths will be horrific, with extreme muscular spasms going on for many hours.” David Attenborough called them the most intelligent bird in the world. They are the world’s only alpine parrot.
Three BK-117 helicopters – ZK-IME (a.k.a Big Red the Rescue Helicopter), ZK-HJK,(white), and ZK-HEM, (red and white), and a Longranger, all belonging to HeliOtago Ltd, left Dunedin at 6.30 pm this evening heading west to be in place for starting their evil work tomorrow morning. Seven choppers arrived at Monowai tonight… yet to find out if they are all HeliOtago Ltd or if three are from another company. I have been told HeliOtago Ltd flew the prefeed baits from a private farm property at Monowai, last weekend.
This area has never before been poisoned. The drop was planned for last October but there were NO rats so it was postponed and, I am told, the poison that had been brought south for the drop was instead used in the Kepler Mountains drop last March, which was squeezed in just before lockdown…. I’m informed they added on the Princess Mountains to use all the extra poison up. No monitoring done there apparently.
So, here they are again and this time DoC have done a wee conjuring trick and say it is for stoats (there being no rats). Stoats don’t eat 1080 baits.
I can tell you what it WILL kill in large numbers… Kea. As the area has never before been poisoned there are many Kea reported to be in the area. (A while back a pilot sent me a photo of seven Kea that landed beside him when he touched down there.)
We have an estimated 1,000 Kea left in the wild in New Zealand….. in the whole world in fact, as they are endemic – i.e.they exist only here! The latest 1080 poison drop in the Matukituki Valley, Mt Aspiring National Park, February 2020, killed 50% of the Kea. More than that will die in the Wet Jacket Peninsulas drop because it is midwinter and the Kea are very hungry.
The Empire of the Dept of Conservation, greedy helicopter companies, and all their parasitic acolytes WILL fall… but it will be too late for the Kea.
Any of you gutless DoC employees reading this who put your personal livelihoods before your knowledge of this travesty and the horror it entails, and keep your mouths shut pleading “I can’t afford to lose my job”… hang your heads in shame why don’t you! You know who you are!
Ditto the local media who know about this drop and are too scared to touch it and tell the truth. You know who you are too.
This is truth, evidence provided of the communications and source of the info. The question being asked is, where is the outrage? Tiny live 5 MO foetuses born alive to harvest their beating hearts. For further info read the blog post and watch the videos provided. EWR
From robinwestenra.blogspot.com
This is a very important interview between Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Dr. Theresa Deisher regarding the use of human fetal tissue to culture viruses for vaccines, because Dr. Deisher reveals that human DNA fragments are found in vaccines. Most of the COVID vaccines being developed are using human fetal tissue to culture the coronavirus. One of the more interesting questions Mr. Kennedy asked Dr. Deisher was why the manufacturers of vaccines switched from exclusively using animal tissue to culture viruses for vaccines, to start using aborted fetal tissue some years back.
Great ethics there Lincoln Uni. Why are you even in existence one has to wonder? I think most Unis are bought & paid for these days going by the info on 1080 and funding. It’s the way of corporations. EWR
“An experiment approved by the Lincoln University animal ethics committee saw the collection of 10 dogs from a Christchurch animal shelter that were then fed concentrated doses of poison before being euthanized.”
From tvnz.co.nz
An application from an external organisation was approved for the experiment by Lincoln University in 2010, for “trials assessing the effects of sodium nitrate during its development as a humane alternative to 1080”.
Bait containing sodium nitrate was later registered to kill possums and feral pigs in 2013.
In a statement provided by the university, no further trials approved by the animal ethics committee involved dogs.
The university says it was the responsibility of the applicant to ensure “the procurement, production, maintenance of animals as well as for the work undertaken” complied with the Animal Welfare Act and the university’s code of conduct for use of animals.
The applicant, according to the report, collected 10 dogs from a Christchurch pound to evaluate the risks of dogs eating carcasses as well as specific organs from possums that had ingested the poison.
Dogs were separated into groups, with one group being fed minced possum organs and another group fed entire carcasses.
The dogs were then monitored after the meal to see if they would present signs of sodium nitrate poisoning.
According to the report, these can include “vomiting, excessive thirst, diarrhorrea, heavy panting, the loss of coordination and methaemoglobinaemia (such as shortness of breath, cyanosis, lethargy, loss of consciousness, and bluish colouring of lips, gums, paws and nose)”.
The dogs were later euthanaised by a veterinarian at the end of the seven-day trial.
New Zealand Anti-Vivisection Society spokesperson Tara Jackson says the experiment highlights how little impact ethics committees have as “even projects with this callous approach to life can be approved”.
“These experiments happen behind closed doors, and it is no surprise the public is horrified when we expose this kind of cruelty. These poor creatures were taken from a pound, fed poison, and then killed.”
Ms Jackson says her organisation has a waiting list of people willing to re-home dogs used in experiments like this.
This post on changed laws in the US reminds me of NZ’s situation with 1080 that allows the long slow cruel death a vet has described as 2+ days of slow electrocution. The NZ authorities tweaked the Animal Welfare act to exempt the spreaders of aerially dropped 1080 poison from prosecution for cruelty. Same thing really isn’t it? Cruel but it’s deemed ‘okay’ because they are killing off everything non native for the biodiversity program we were signed up to under Agenda 21 now Agenda 2030. A truly ‘sustainable’ (not) practice. Unless of course it’s your pet dog, cat or other animal. EWR
“According to The Washington Post, the PACT Act “outlines exemptions for humane euthanasia; slaughter for food; recreational activities such as hunting, trapping and fishing; medical and scientific research; ‘normal veterinary, agricultural husbandry, or other animal management practice’; and actions that are necessary ‘to protect the life or property of a person.’”
Of course animal cruelty to dogs and cats by private citizens should be dealt with severely. But what about the billions of animals tortured each year on America’s factory farms? Or how about the tens of thousands of animals, including dogs and cats, who are tested on and mistreated in laboratories?
Can we actually say we’re cracking down on animal cruelty when we still allow SeaWorld to keep cetaceans captive and force them to perform? Or permit insanely cruel practices like fur trapping and bow hunting?”
Animals poisoned with 1080 die a days long agonizing death because DoC are exempted from the Animal Welfare Act with respect to 1080 use. In this case, when the mothers are poisoned their fawns die of starvation. EWR
“We hoped these organisations had learned their lesson from the public backlash over the 2017 mass poisoning of deer in Molesworth but it appears that despite their promises to prevent such indiscriminate killing happening again, they are continuing their unacceptable policies.” NZDA
“AN ANIMAL WELFARE DISASTER” DEERSTALKERS DEMAND ANSWERS OVER 1080 DROPS DURING FAWN SEASON 20 NOVEMBER 2019
From the NZ Deer Stalkers Assn
The New Zealand Deerstalkers Association is demanding answers over the scheduling of 1080 poisoning operations during the current breeding season, saying new born fawns are threatened with starvation if the poison drops go ahead. The NZDA, which is the country’s leading hunting organisation, says it has become aware of a number of applications from both OSPRI and the Department of Conservation to start poisoning large areas during the run-up to Christmas.
A 1080 drop is scheduled to begin tomorrow in the Kahurangi area in the north west South Island, while it is understood another operation is due to begin soon in the Landsborough area on the West Coast.
The NZDA is condemning the planned poisoning.
The NZDA’s national president Trevor Chappell says the timing is unacceptable.
“These drops coincide with late spring when deer are giving birth to their fawns and that means not only are the mothers at risk of dying a painful death if they eat the 1080, the orphaned fawns will be left to starve to death,” says Mr Chappell.
“This is just not on. This is a major animal welfare issue for deer and if these government organisations want to be seen as humane, they should not be conducting mass poisoning campaigns at this time of year.”
The Deerstalkers Association is asking DoC and OSPRI to explain their thinking.
“In previous years, mass poisoning operations have finished by this time. Even the tahr cull was halted from November to prevent orphaned kids starving to death in the mountains,” Trevor Chappell says.
“We hoped these organisations had learned their lesson from the public backlash over the 2017 mass poisoning of deer in Molesworth but it appears that despite their promises to prevent such indiscriminate killing happening again, they are continuing their unacceptable policies.”
From Sue Grey, LLB(Hons), BSc (Biochemistry and Microbiology), RSH Dip PHI
A few questions we need to be asking …
“I wonder if even one MP asked why DoC staff feel so threatened that they need $11 million of public money to protect their staff against the NZ public they are supposed to represent when New Zealanders generally love the Outdoors?
I wonder why they went ahead anyway and gave them more of our money to build more barriers between us, and more money to spread yet more poison – despite all the evidence of cruelty, breaches of the Wildlife and Animal Welfare Act and that it is not achieving their stated objective? If poison is the answer, surely we are asking the wrong question. .
From the Clyde Graf … “most people have heard about New Zealand’s use of 1080 poison, but most are unaware of how it is used and what it does. Here’s a short introduction …”
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.
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):
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.
“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.
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.
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.
“Any attack on anything, be it human or animal, is deplorable in NZ society. There’s no need for it”
Snr Sergeant Craig Dinnissen (Dunedin Police, NZ)
This week an article featured in the media about cruelty to a little miniature horse in the South Island that has since died. A loved pet, it was stabbed more than forty times by an unknown person or persons and the matter is under investigation. This event has certainly raised discussion about the disturbing trend NZers are witnessing here of the growing acceptability of cruelty to animals.
Deer killed by 1080 poisoning frequently rip open their stomaches, their organs explode & their eyes pop out
This state of affairs has been especially highlighted (or kicked off?) by NZ’s [some say unrealistic] Predator Free 2050 goal and the official granting of exception to the liberal use of the Class 1A ecotoxin 1080 poison which allows a very cruel death for both target & non target creatures. The Predator Free 2050 goal aims to eradicate all introduced species from NZ soil (although we are not officially being told all) bar of course the lucrative farming animals. Money really matters in the new corporate Kiwiland. Sentient creatures don’t.
The discussion that’s ensued following the cruel attack on & subsequent death of the little horse has centered around the horror of blatant cruelty to innocent animals. Once deemed unthinkable, it has now become acceptable for animals to die a slow torturous death by 1080 poisoning, likened by a veterinarian to two days of slow electrocution.
I remember the bygone era when animal cruelty was a definite no no. It is amazing what can change when dollars get in the way. And to seemingly boost the acceptability of the unthinkable, the proponents of the new paradigm are targeting the very young. Note in an article posted in November 2018 about a biennial critter hunt in rural NZ, a grandmother says her grandchildren…
“…take a little while to get used to killing animals, but once they get into it, they love it”.
Yes children are naturally reticent about killing because it is not in their nature to do so. Yet now they are being urged to & their efforts celebrated even. This ‘hunt’ does not appear to be a basic ‘trap some pests’ excursion. Featured are photos of dead goats, pigs, possums and a magpie. It is celebratory killing of sentient creatures. And what is with killing magpies? Since when were they pests? Unfortunately this propensity for eliminating pests does not stop with the wild animals. There is now a growing movement to eliminate cats from the environment. Well of course they too are an introduced species. Driven for one by economist Gareth Morgan who recently slammed the SPCA for speaking out about the use of 1080 & the cruel death it inflicts. Morgan it appears may have a financial interest in 1080 through his association with Zero Invasive Predators (ZIP), a partnership between NEXT Foundation, and the Department of Conservation.
A child carries a dead magpie at the Whangamomona critter hunt : Photo: screenshot Stuff.co.nz
Further, children’s school textbooks are even stating that the cruel ecotoxin 1080 is ‘not very dangerous to humans’ totally bypassing any commentary on the cruel death it inflicts or on the difficulty in detecting it as the cause of death in humans. This picture painted of the harmlessness of 1080 is a murky one. If you die of it nobody will know a retired Doctor has told us, further adding that the MOH bullies Doctors into not testing for 1080. And stating that it targets certain animals only is blatant untruth … DoC’s own documentation confirms that.
So the Dunedin Police Sergeant in the Stuff article is condemning the cruelty to this little horse, calling it deplorable, and all the while the corporations he serves are openly promoting cruelty to animals, condemning anybody who dares to say otherwise and teaching its ‘acceptability’ to our children. Bob Kerridge who has had a long and distinguished professional career in animal welfare called this propensity towards killing animals weirdly addictive.
So our children are getting mixed messages here. Read the article from the psychology blog. The issues around that for your kids are addressed. The author, PhD Marc Bekoff comments:
“New Zealand’s war on wildlife uses youngsters to reach their shameful goal”.
Clearly from the article & feedback given, not all of Whangamomona’s residents agree with this killing event:
“…other parents agreed … and were at wit’s end because people in power were telling the kids it was perfectly okay to harm and to kill the animals and to parade around with corpses of the animals they slaughtered.”
It’s been said by more than one notable person in history that how a society treats its animals is a tell-tale sign about the state that society is in. Unfortunately NZ appears to be on a very slippery slope. Time to stand up & speak out.
NOTE: For further articles on 1080 use categories at left of the news page.
If you are new to the 1080 poisoning program, a must watch 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 to make your own informed decision on this matter.
Word’s getting around isn’t it? Remember this one? One of the great aspects of social media & the internet. All being severely curtailed however as we speak.
From taazakhabarnews.com
Inhumane death by 1080
Almost on the verge of losing its native species New Zealand is beginning to realize the environmental implications of 60 years of indiscriminate aerial application of toxic pesticides and chemicals like 1080 (sodium fluoroacetate) in its forest ecosystem. Secondary poisoning due to rat poison is posing a big threat for the birds of prey and insectivores. Though no one wanted it that way, birds are being poisoned when the insects eat the poisonous rat bait and the birds then eat the insects.
For such a small country, New Zealand packs a poisonous punch. Its Department of Conservation (DoC) has a toolbox full of chemical weapons and is willing and able to use them. Last year alone saw aerial broadcasting of 800+ tonnes of toxic bait across an estimated 700,000 HAs of its native forest ecosystems (including lakes and rivers) in a campaign against rats dubbed the Battle for the Birds. The poison used was 1080 (sodium fluoroacetate), which kills by interrupting cellular respiration and affects all life forms requiring oxygen. The extreme toxicity and agonizing mode of action has sparked much controversy about the inhumanity of using such a poison. There is also no known antidote and in the opinion of many 1080 should have been banned outright years ago. In New Zealand, it has been used for over 60 years to control introduced species such as rabbits, possums and rats.
Native rock wren – NZ’s only true alpine bird that spends its entire life above the bush line in often difficult climatic conditions
Poisons are a booming business, especially for the “treatment” of rats on islands. In this instance, the poison is brodifacoum a second-generation anticoagulant used for island eradications. The method of aerial application is like “blitzkrieg”, but lack of accuracy and by kill risk means that these operations can impact, as is often witnessed, on sea mammals, fish and birds.
Brodifacoum is also persistent and bioaccumulative.
The New Zealand state-owned enterprise, Animal Control Products imports as much as 90% of the world’s supply of pure manufactured 1080 annually from the United State’s Tull Chemical Company (the sole manufacturer). This is then processed into various baits. But New Zealand’s pest control industry is not all about spreading bait from helicopters or ground-based operations in its own ecosystem, it is also about export opportunities. Animal Control Products has found a niche market for selling New Zealand expertise and products for pest control solutions and island restorations. It is a lucrative sideline for this government. New Zealand provides the skill to kill, marketing its expertise and branding, and proudly presiding over island eradications.
But does the world need such a thing as island eradications and ecosystem restorations? And if we are to believe the world does need such drastic measures, the question needs to asked. Are poisons really working? The respected science journal, Nature, reported in 2012 that “Killing rats is killing birds”. Canada and the United States are planning to restrict the use of blood-thinning rat poisons, such as brodifacoum.
The disastrous eradication of Alaska’s Rat Island used 42 tonnes of brodifacoum. This resulted in the demise of 420 birds including 46 bald eagles that tragically came to dine on rat. One would hope that the island eradication industry would think twice about using poisons that have far reaching environmental implications. Rats will go wherever we go. But still, aerial poisoning of islands is heralded as the “final solution” to the problem of rats. This way of looking at island conservation as a poisoning opportunity was born in New Zealand.
These images were captured in the Taupo Region in 2016, images of contorted deer that have died a slow agonizing death from 1080 poisoning. For over 50 years the New Zealand Government has been systematically dropping massive amounts of food, laced with this cruel and universally toxic poison into its forest ecosystems. Enough poison every year to kill the entire population of NZ four times over. No other country is doing, or ever has done, anything remotely similar on such a scale.
A vet has told us that a typical death from 1080 is like TWO DAYS of slow electrocution. In addition as per this video mothers die with their young or sometimes their surviving young are left to die from starvation. 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 with 1080 poisoning. See below how long the other animals take to die, some of them non-target of course, although DoC would have you believe, in spite of their own documentation stating otherwise, that non-target animals do not die in 1080 drops:
(From Fishing & Outdoors, April 2018 edition)
The three shareholders by the way, should you feel inclined to contact them, are Beef & Lamb NZ Ltd, Dairy NZ and Deer Industry NZ. (OSPRI NZ is Operational Solutions for Primary Industries).
On the 13th July 2016, together with a few friends, we went to the site of a 50,000 hectare 1080 poison drop in Central North Island, NZ. This is our story. Everything you see is exactly how it was.
Note, there is no antidote to 1080 & a retired NZ Doctor has spoken out and said if you die of the poison nobody will know because Doctors are bullied by the MOH into NOT testing for 1080.
NOTE: For further articles on 1080 use categories at left of the news page.
If you are new to the 1080 poisoning program, a must watch 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 to make your own informed decision on this matter.
If you are pro poisoning of the environment, EnvirowatchRangitikei is not the place to espouse your opinions. Mainstream would be the place to air those. This is a venue for sharing the independent science you won’t of course find there.
Finally we don’t endorse violence in any way shape or form.
NOTE: Periodically & randomly the facebook share option will disappear from posts on the news page. If it is not appearing, click on the heading of the article to go to its own page, usually the share button will show up there. (All else failing, on the actual post’s page, copy & past the url to your facebook page)
Recently the SPCA (finally) spoke out about the animal cruelty associated with 1080 poisoning of NZ’s creatures, calling for a look into alternatives. If ever a death was cruel it was death by 1080. It has been likened by a veterinarian to two days worth of slow electrocution. (Search Youtube for video evidence of this. Not for the faint hearted).
Death by 1080’s been likened by a vet to two days of electrocution
Our authorities have tweaked the Animal Welfare Act to allow this. Just like they changed the Resource Management Act to allow them to drop this same ecotoxin with no antidote into any sized body of water totally disregarding the data sheets which say not to. A convenient ‘solution’ to those glitches in the wholesale poisoning of more than just pests (as we’re led to believe).
Anyway, the SPCA has been roundly censured for daring to suggest a two day agonizing death is reason enough to look into alternatives, assisted predictably, by an economist. To the discerning among us that’s surely an uncomfortable mix? An economist? Commenting on animal cruelty?
But then 1080 is very much about money & economies. And gravy trains. In NZ it is anyway. Economists are really enthused about conservation & the much touted ‘sustainable development’ lie. I say ‘lie’ because since the inception of the ‘sustainable’ idea (early ’90s) I’ve seen very little that you could call sustainable except of course the profits accumulating in the banks of its proponents. On the other hand, child poverty is up, suicide’s up, debt’s up, pollution is exponentially up and on it goes. So after 30 odd years & few if any results, it clearly isn’t working. Well not for most us anyway.
And aside from all of the above, a two day death IS cruel.
I’m noticing lately, every time a new crack appears in the flimsy rationale offered for using a non-target poison to target pests, instead of trotting out the body of watertight research thousands of NZers are still waiting to see, including the long term studies, we are offered as an alternative to the usual ‘toolbox’ speech, a new spokesperson, the latest being economist Gareth Morgan. Gareth has 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. But then, they’re an introduced species aren’t they & the NZ Govt (Corporation) without plainly telling us in the Predator Free 2050 verbiage, intends for the elimination of all introduced species except farm stock. Economists in the, dare I say Rogernomics view however, do fit the new conservation look. Economists have a Houdini-like ability to adapt themselves to any cause if it means profits. Two things that go together like peas in a pod these days are profits & chemicals, even poisonous ones. Think Nature Conservancy (TNC).
TNC is known as the new Greenwash … environmental organizations partnering with very large & powerful corporations many of which have more to do with destroying environments than saving them. For further info on that read our post earlier last year on the Nature Conservancy visitors (30 international bankers including the CE of Goldman Sachs) flying over Fiordland with DoC’s CEO Lou Sanson … (see here also, cited below). (When this piece of news leaked out and was posted on social media, a Labour member explained in one of the discussions that it was a conservation mission associated with TNC).
TNC is a Hong Kong group and is headed by a former Goldman Sachs CEO.
Check out their corporate partners: “Pepsi Co, Disney, IBM, Goldman Sachs, Walmart and Cargill. In Asia Pacific, … Neutrogena in Australia and Rio Tinto in Mongolia. In Hong Kong, … Dragonair, Pacific Coffee Company, FORTUNE China, HSBC Private Bank, the Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Hong Kong Commercial Radio, Moet Hennessy Asia Pacific, Time Asia, Sun Hung Kai Properties and the Hong Kong Airport Authority”. And there it is again, Goldman Sachs. They’re featuring quite prominently. And Key’s friends from Merrill Lynch.
If you navigate from the NZ website for TNC, there is another list of global companies that have partnered with them. On that very long list are Dow Chemicals, Shell & Coke to name three, who are all ill qualified to fit any green profile by any stretch of the imagination.
Speaking broadly, a not so new breed of ‘environmental’ people have clearly been dominating the green movement for some time particularly since neo liberal economics and are in fact all for profit. Strange bedfellows they shroud their activities in a deceptive cloak of green & sustainable rhetoric but don’t be fooled. The bottom line of corporations is profit. (Read Behind the Green Mask on that. The author Rosa Koire’s site is here).
“As part of a three-year strategic plan, in 2016 we worked with government officials, local communities, indigenous (Iwi) leaders, businesses and local conservation groups to identify science-based solutions to poor water quality and runoff.”
You can read at the link what else they’re up to. Clearly with their input our waterways are no cleaner and our clean water reserves are still either under threat, or being bottled and sent off shore for the sole benefit of foreign corporations that plunder us with impunity.
Please do educate yourself on the independent science on 1080. There’s a war going on for the public’s total blessing on a poison industry that flies in the face of reason regarding the humane treatment of animals. And that’s just one facet of the issue.
NOTE: For further articles on 1080 use categories at left of the news page.
If you are new to the 1080 poisoning program, a must watch 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 to make your own informed decision on this matter.
If you are pro poisoning of the environment, EnvirowatchRangitikei is not the place to espouse your opinions. Mainstream would be the place to air those. This is a venue for sharing the independent science you won’t of course find there.
Finally we don’t endorse violence in any way shape or form.
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Are we surprized at this? A regime that didn’t count its first peoples citizens of their own country until 1967? And the Aussie Vet who blew the whistle now, predictably, has no job. Great stuff Australia.
An experienced live export vet has given ABC’s 7.30 a glimpse into the conditions endured by animals on live export ships — and it’s not a pretty picture.
Space
IMAGE: Dr Lynn Simpson
In addition to the stress of the unfamiliar environment, noise and constant ship movement, at the typical high stocking density of a long haul voyage, it is not usually possible for all animals to lie down naturally at the same time. Stocking densities allowed by Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock (ASEL) are much higher than any land-based feedlot or intensive housing system.
Bedding
IMAGE: Dr Lynn Simpson
Adequate sawdust or other soft bedding to rest on is not available to cattle on board a live export ship. Some sawdust provisions are required but they are not nearly sufficient, leaving animals travelling on hard, non-slip surfaces which can often result in painful abrasions, lameness and injury. Australian standards only indicate that bedding should be replaced “as necessary” leaving this decision in the hands of exporters.
Note: you can hear Dr Miranda Sherley speak in the GrafBoys’ doco “Poisoning Paradise“. There are graphic descriptions and footage of the agony 1080’d animals go through. A veterinarian has commented that dying from 1080 poison is like two days of slow electrocution.
RSPCA MEDIA RELEASE 2007
We can no longer kid ourselves that 1080 is an acceptable option; we urgently need to focus efforts on finding ways to make 1080 more humane, or otherwise finding more humane ways to control pest animals … Dr M Sherley
A new report into the use of sodium fluroacetate (or 1080) in Australia has found it is an
inhumane poison, and has called for urgent research into improving the humaneness of
vertebrate pest control methods in this country.
The report, written by RSPCA Australia’s Dr Miranda Sherley, has been published in the current edition of the highly respected Animal Welfare journal from the UK-based Universities Federation for Animal Welfare.
Dr Sherley said despite its widespread use, the animal welfare implications of 1080 baiting have received little attention. There has been ongoing research into the ecological impacts of using 1080 as well as a high level of public concern regarding the effects of the poison on non-target animals, including pets or working dogs that might accidentally pick up the baits, as well as native wildlife, said Dr Sherley.
However, we were concerned to further investigate what level of pain and suffering was caused by 1080 on any vertebrate animal, including the target animals which, we should remember, are also very much able to experience pain and suffering and deserve no less compassion in the way we deal with them, she said.
Dr Sherley said a range of criteria ñ including studying how the poison works, speed of death, behaviour of affected animals and long-term effects on survivors – were used to scientifically assess how humane the use of 1080 is as a method of pest control.
Human cases of 1080 poisoning are also helpful in understanding the effects on other animals: while conscious, people report feeling pain and distress, and through detailed hospital records we are also able to better track their recovery and any longer term effects, she said. Based on the evidence available, our conclusion is that animals affected by 1080 do not die a quick and humane death; rather, they suffer a range of potentially painful and distressing symptoms, often over a period of hours,î said Dr Sherley.
We can no longer kid ourselves that 1080 is an acceptable option; we urgently need to focus efforts on finding ways to make 1080 more humane, or otherwise finding more humane ways to control pest animals.
Further evidence from the Graf Boys’ channel from 2012. Educate yourself. Watch their Poisoning Paradise doco. Share their videos and let the world know how cruelly these animals die and how clean and green we aren’t.
Taihape sheep farmer – Allan Westerman – was looking for lost sheep after an aerial 1080 poison drop on the back of his property. What he found is disturbing. This is the same issue the SPCA spoke out against last week. A total of 10 poisoned deer were found, and it’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Every New Zealander should see how the Department of Conservation treat our wild animals. Please spread this info far and wide.
If you are new to NZ’s 1080 poisoning program here is a good article to start with …
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.
Rangitikei Environmental Health Watch 
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