Mass Poison Drops Scheduled To Wipeout Pests (updated after death of dogs)

24 June 2009
Fresh waves of animal exterminations are to be carried out on Rangitoto and Motutapu Islands by the Department of Conservation Auckland on Friday of this week, as a break in the weather will provide suitable conditions for the first of three aerial drops of 70 tonnes of 'rat bait' over the next few months. The poison 'Pestoff 20R' containing Brodifacoum is typically used to kill rats but it also used to control larger mammalian pests such as possum.

Brodifacoum has a half life of 20-130 days and is highly lethal to mammals and birds, and extremely lethal to fish. It is a highly cumulative poison, due to its high lipophilicity and extremely slow elimination. (source Wikipedia) The estimated fatal dose for a man is 15mg and 0.25mg for a dog. Poison baits or carcasses are deadly to dogs.

UPDATE 4 August 2009: A subsequent drop was carried out in the week 9-17 July. 2 dogs have died recently and 30 others are said to be sick after visiting beaches in the Hauraki Gulf Dead fish, dolphins and penguins have been found further north on the beaches in Rodney. See news report Dogs' beach deaths spark warnings. The North Shore beaches involved - Cheltenham and Browns Bay are very close to the two islands.
Interactive map of Cheltenham and Browns Bay beaches


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Rat poison was also dropped on 90 islands and rock stacks in eastern Bay of Islands in June. At the time Friends of the Earth spokesperson Paul Tucker expressed his surprise that tourists were allowed back on the islands within 48 hours of the drops, saying that it was unheard of. See Project song is all go.

Any stoats, wild cats, rabbits and hedgehogs that survive on Rangitoto and Motutapu will be removed later by trapping, shooting and using dogs. New Zealand has no native land mammals other than 2 species of bat, any animals not considered to be indigenous to New Zealand will be removed from the islands to allow for a wildlife sanctuary for kaka, kiwi and takahe.

Blanket eradication of non-native animals is nothing new in New Zealand, which is the world's largest user of Sodium Fluoroacetate - also known as 1080.

Last week 370 plastic bait stations carrying 20,000 pellets of the cyanide-based pesticide Feratox were laid over 800ha on Rotorua's Mt Ngongotaha in an effort to wipe out Dama wallabies which were introduced almost 140 years ago. The wallabies are said to be a threat to native plants.

The highly contentious and widespread use of 1080 has already caused damage to the country's ecotourism industry and is contrary to the '100% Pure' image so often associated with NZ .

"Poisoning Paradise -- Ecocide in New Zealand"
Hamilton-based film-makers Clyde and Steve Graf made the above documentary in an effort to raise public awareness about the devastating effects 1080 has on New Zealand's fauna, flora and water courses.
"Largely shot in bush areas after aerial 1080 drops, the documentary "goes behind the wall of the forest and shows people the other side of the story", Clyde Graf said.

It shows falcons and other birds dying, freshwater crayfish fighting over submerged 1080 pellets, deer and pigs rotting in creeks, eels eating dead animals in waterways, dead and dying stock, and weka and bush robins picking at 1080 carcasses and baits.

Scientists, university lecturers, doctors, hunters and farmers highlight their concerns about the impact of 1080 on wildlife populations, the forest ecosystem and human health.

The Graf brothers worked on the film for eight months after seeing a weka picking at a 1080 carcass in Kahurangi National Park."

The brothers estimate that hundreds of dogs, ten thousand deer and thousands of endangered animals are killed by the poison every year. Visit their blog here: Grafboys Blog

For more about the background and the effects of 1080 see other posts on this blog: Toxic 1080 and sites such as Kaka1080.co.nz and the World Health Organisation's Data Sheet 16 on Sodium Fluoroacetate:

"1.4.4 Unintended Effects:
Very toxic to birds, domestic animals and wildlife. High risk of secondary poisoning to carnivorous and omnivorous species from eating poisoned carcasses.

2.3 Toxicity To Non-Mammalian Species:
The entries in these sections are intended to draw attention to
special risks and to give warnings of any needs for special
precautions.

2.3.1 Fish: fairly low toxicity to fish. No risk from rat baits used
in sewers discharging into natural waters.

2.3.2 Birds: very toxic to birds. Hazard from eating grain baits seems
to be low, but there have been many deaths from eating coyote baits and
from secondary poisoning.

2.3.3 Other species: it is toxic to bees, but there is no hazard under
proper conditions of use. Very toxic to wildlife generally."

New Zealand Aerial 1080 Application

"1080 baits have been used through ground based and aerial application to control possums and other non-native predators in New Zealand. New Zealand's unique fauna and flora is endangered by the rapid spread of possums, introduced into the country last century to create an industry for possum fur.

"While New Zealand's Department of Conservation Doc favors the effectiveness of aerial 1080 application, vocal critics of the application of 1080 claim: "government agencies increasingly use large scale indiscriminate aerial applications to cut costs. Large number of non-target species are destroyed as a result, including deer and native birds. Southern Boobook, a species of owl (mopoke or morepork) is particularly vulnerable through secondary poisoning."

Dead Morepork after a 1080 drop in Kahurangi National Park, New Zealand, August 2008

"A positive side effect of blanket aerial poisoning is a temporary drop in rat numbers, but they quickly recover due to the niche created by low possum numbers. The effectiveness of aerial drops is being questioned due to pockets of possum population either resistant to the compound or not taking the bait with the overall numbers bouncing back rapidly. Ground operations using bait stations with sodium fluoroacetate are not as effective as other modern target poisons such as cyanide baits."

New Zealand's Environment Risk Management Authority (ERMA) released in August 2007 its latest review of the matter. The review gives new guidelines for the use of 1080 in New Zealand and concludes that the beneficial effects of pest eradication outweigh the risks."

Warning signs to be displayed for 6 months
The report stated warning signage must be in place for 6 months after application or until it can be demonstrated that baits and carcases no longer pose a risk to dogs. It also recommended that further research be undertaken in relation to the use and effects of 1080 and into alternatives to 1080 for pest control. Research into the aquatic and soil degradation of 1080 is also called for as present data is "limited."

For today's posts see: latest posts

Mount Egmont Park Scheduled For Massive 1080 Poison Drop (Updated)

DoC will be carrying out further aerial drops of 1080 over 33,000ha of park land around Mount Egmont between August and December. See: "massive park poison drop"

This will be the third time that the area has been treated with 1080, the drops have been carried out every 7 years since 1994.

DoC issues Pesticide Summaries covering the periods March to June, July to October and November to February. Maps are available from the DoC website showing regions of the country that are to be treated. They also publish the following information (take a look at the disclaimer at the end)

• "All areas where pesticides have been laid are clearly identified with WARNING signs. Take note of signs when entering area.
• Pesticides Summaries are regularly updated lists of animal pest operations using vertebrate pesticides that occur on lands managed or administered by DOC. This Pesticides Summary does not apply to the use of:
• ­ Herbicides for control of plants
• ­ Pesticides for rodent control in huts or buildings
• ­ Cyanide baits for possum skin or fur recovery
• ­ Pesticides for invertebrate pest operations (e.g. wasps)
• ­ Pesticides on off-shore islands that have permit-only access
• ­ Pesticides on private land (by DOC or other parties) (ed. is 1080 still used on private land?)
  

Caution notes

• The ‘date of application’ for the planned operations is provisional only and may be subject to change. Un-programmed operations such as TB blips may occur from time to time. Due to their immediate nature they may not appear on the current Pesticide Summary. Check with the local DOC office before entering any area.
• The ‘expected time to warning sign removal’ is an estimate only. This period will be extended if bait or carcass monitoring indicates that pesticide residues may still be present. Until this period is finished, warning signs will stay in place and the operation will continue to be listed on the Pesticides Summary.
• DO NOT EAT animals from these areas while warning signs are present and operations are listed on the Pesticides Summary. Also, DO NOT EAT animals from within the ‘buffer zone’ outside of the operational area boundary, as listed below. Note that there are no buffer zones for cyanide or cholecalciferol.

Animal: Pigs
Within buffer zone of: 5 km
For any operation involving: Brodifacoum, flocoumafen or bromadiolone

Animal: Pigs
Within buffer zone of: 2 km
For any operation involving: Any pesticide except cyanide or cholecalciferol

Animal: Rabbits
Within buffer zone of: 200 m
For any operation involving: Any pesticide except cyanide or cholecalciferol

Animal: Hares, wallabies, or live possums
Within buffer zone of: 1 km
For any operation involving: Any pesticide except cyanide or cholecalciferol

Animal: Deer or any other wild animal
Within buffer zone of: 2 km
For any operation involving: Any pesticide except cyanide or cholecalciferol

Disclaimer

While the information in these Pesticides Summaries are provided in good faith, any person using the information does so at his or her risk solely, and neither Her Majesty the Queen, nor the Minister of Conservation nor Director General of Conservation nor any employee or agent of the Department of Conservation shall be liable for any errors or omissions in this Summary.

Any person who takes any animal from land administered by the Department of Conservation does so at his/her own risk and no warranty, express or implied, is given as to the fitness for human or other consumption of such animals."

Wow, the disclaimer is an eye opener isn't it. So much for 100% Pure New Zealand.

For today's posts see: latest posts

Farmers Against 1080 (FATE)

It's good to see that farmers, so often the guardians of a nations land and wildlife, have started to organise themselves into a pressure group called Farmers Against Ten Eighty (FATE) a group that has serious concerns about the use of 1080 in New Zealand and is calling for alternatives that are "genuinely clean, green 100% Pure." This is a Karameans Advocating Kahurangi Action release on Voxy:

"KAKA welcomes the establishment of "'Farmers Against Ten Eighty" (FATE)--a new national anti-1080 organisation--at a time when the Animal Health Board (AHB) is actively engaged in a costly national media campaign to promote and justify the continued use of 1080 and its aerial distribution.

The emergence of FATE is a powerful public reminder to the AHB and its pro-1080 adherents that, contrary to their repeated claims in the media, they do not enjoy the overwhelming support of N.Z. farmers. In fact, many if not most farmers, including a significant and increasing number of dairy farmers, have serious concerns about the use of 1080 in the AHB's Tb eradication strategy. FATE's emergence is a timely reminder to advocates of the use of 1080, such as the AHB, TB Free NZ and Federated Farmers, to listen more seriously to the legitimate concerns of their members. Many farmers do not appreciate the broad-scale indiscriminate use of 1080 poison in their name. Many are also justifiably concerned about potential negative impacts 1080 could have on export markets for their products, the environment in which they live and potential human health implications for themselves and their families.

KAKA, FATE and other anti-1080 campaigners seek the speedy implementation of viable alternatives to 1080--alternatives that are genuinely Clean/Green/100%Pure, better serve the needs of rural communities and which ensure a long-term future for our agricultural export industries.

KAKA hopes the AHB will quickly engage in constructive dialogue with FATE and like-minded groups and begin implementing safe, effective alternative pest-control solutions as well as improving the enforcement of existing Tb control regulations.

Congratulations to the members of FATE and Mary Molloy, the group's interim spokesperson."

For more information see the Straight Furrow article: "1080 Could be NZ's fatal flaw, says lobby group" in which Ms Molloy said:

“We have growing New Zealand-wide support. And remember very few farmers allow 1080 to be dropped on their land – farmers know it can kill everything,” Mrs Molloy said.

“Let’s refocus back to the original reason the AHB was formed – to help farmers rid their herd of TB – not to rid the whole of New Zealand of every possible vector for bovine TB.”

Mrs Molloy said people needed to know that poison was not acceptable in New Zealand. She believed 1080 was not only ineffective, it was also dangerous to both human and animal health, and had the potential to cause catastrophic trade problems if it was to get into the food chain.

“There is no trade barrier against TB, there are countries with less, like Australia and US, however our markets would be closed if 1080 does get into the food chain,” she said.

“It doesn’t go into the bush and only kill possums and stoats. 1080 is such a far reaching poison. There is nothing it cannot kill.”

In fact she couldn’t believe there hadn’t already been a major disaster involving 1080 - a chemical the United States saw as a potential terrorist tool.

She said the Animal Health Board needed to look at different strategies for dealing TB.

“We believe that farmers can help themselves more and that persistently infected farms should be assisted to become clear – maybe some new techniques or review older techniques like not grazing in high-risk areas,” Mrs Molloy said."

Read more here: NZ's fatal flaw

Just an interest snipped of information: we've discovered that Sodium Fluoroacetate has been formally recognised by the state of California as having male reproductive toxicity risks (Source) not only does this have implications for the workers who come into contact with the toxin but anyone who comes across it once it's released into the environment (hunters, trampers, etc) or consumes sub-lethally contaminated game.

For today's posts see: latest posts