1080 poison will be dropped over hundreds of thousands hectares this winter as part of the largest ever pest control operation in New Zealand.
Conservation Minister, Maggie Barry, said the country’s largest pest control operation was being conducted to fight against the rise in the pest population expected over the winter months which threaten native wildlife.
“We’re expecting in excess of 30 million extra rats so it is biblical proportions of plagues of them and then following on from that hundreds of thousands of stoats, so we get in early, as soon as we start in July with the 1080 drops we will knock out those rodent populations and not let them get to those predicted levels.”
The Department of Conservation (DoC) drops biodegradable 1080 by air over large areas of rugged terrain to knock down rats, stoats and possums. Trapping and other ground-based pest control methods are also used.
According to DoC if nothing is done to fight the rise in pest populations, vulnerable species will be brought to the brink of extinction. The pest plague would also kill millions of other birds, native insects, bats and reptiles.
12 Responses
Wow
I don’t like poison
1080 isn’t that a lot of poison.
this is stupid yea it is getting rid of pest but along with it native birds which we need let take a stand come BAN 1080
This is gonna kill dogs and that how rude
I recon, stop it because it will kill lots of other animals.
SO STOP THAT NONSENSE.
OMG NOT POISON!! NOOOO I’M GONNA DIE!!!
Wow… thats insane. but i cant believe how much poison that is!
so much poison think a bout all the names ☺
that is bad tho because it could kill the kiwi
Wooow that is way to much, what animals will be left after that? think about what you drop.
That is a lot of poison Cody