25 November 2015

Man convicted of shooting protected gull

The conviction over the shooting of a black-billed gull/tarāpuka highlights some people don’t realise the birds are rare and protected, the Department of Conservation’s operations manager in Invercargill, Ros Cole, said.

Darren Leslie Baucke, 33, employed of Mossburn, was found guilty in the Invercargill District Court on one charge of hunting or killing absolutely protected wildlife without lawful authority in November 2014. The charge laid under the Wildlife Act carries a maximum penalty of 2 years jail or a maximum fine of $100,000.

Two University of Otago Masters students studying black-fronted terns in the Oreti River, near a black-billed gull colony last November, heard gun shots fired and saw gulls from the colony fly into the sky in a massed panic flight. The students heard Mr Baucke fire his shotgun and saw a gull fall from the panic flight out of the sky.

Knowing that black-billed gulls are protected, the students contacted the police. Judge Bernadette Farnan held the student’s evidence was credible and compelling. Based on this evidence, the Judge found it proved Baucke’s actions had caused the death of protected wildlife.

Judge Farnan accepted Baucke did not know black-billed gulls are protected, let alone they are endangered. However, the Judge was satisfied he had not taken all reasonable steps to avoid the gull’s death. Baucke was convicted on the charge, fined $950 and ordered to pay witness expenses of $100.

“These birds are critically endangered and their numbers are rapidly declining. This type of behaviour is not acceptable. We encourage people to respect our native wildlife and give them the space they need. These birds are found nowhere else in the world and are part of what makes us unique,” Ms Cole said.

"We’re very grateful to the evidence provided by the two people who witnessed this incident and were prepared to come to court. We rely on the public to report incidents like this to the department as soon as possible, so we can determine the cause and hopefully prevent further incidences like this happening," said Ms Cole.

Anyone who sees the harming of native wildlife is encouraged to report it to the DOC hotline 0800 362 468.

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