Media Release 1st November 2012

Tahr Cull Cruelty

Recreational, Tahr hunters, Hunting guides, helicopter operators and farmers are united in expressing concern at the timing of a planned killing of Tahr in the Murchison Valley, near Mount Cook.

The Department of Conservation’s Twizel office is co-ordinating the cull and requires any hunters accessing the area to destroy all Tahr as a condition of entry. DoC officer Mark Beardsley is attempting to have volunteers complete operations by Christmas.

However a spokesman for the Tahr Interest Group, Gary Ottmann, is concerned at the timing of the cull.

“It is abhorrent to hunters that DoC is demanding they shoot female tahr that are in the process of having newborn kids.”

He says shooting female Tahr at this time inevitably results in kids being left to a lingering death from starvation. He explains by saying “Female Tahr often leave newly born kids hidden away whilst they feed”.

The Tahr Interest Group has assisted the Department of Conservation for many years by undertaking Tahr cull work without cost to the Department. Volunteers are strictly managed and only work as directed. It has undertaken a number of control operations on both the East and West coasts. It is standard practise to conduct these hunts before females give birth or after kids are able to look after themselves. It is also standard practice that no bulls are shot on control operations. This gives hunters the opportunity to hunt for these animals at an alternative time.

“These culls are being run outside of the Tahr Interest Group and we want to be very clear that we want no part in this type of operation. I ask hunters not to bow to DoC’s standover tactics” Mr Ottmann says.

“What they propose is cruel and therefore unacceptable”.

Ends

Group is made up of recreational hunters, Hunting Guides, helicopter operators, farmers and others with an interest in tahr management.

© Scoop Media