Dunne: Conservation Board gets it right on heli-hunting

UnitedFuture leader Peter Dunne has praised the Canterbury-Aoraki Conservation Board for its unanimous decision to oppose heli-hunting on public land.

“Heli-hunting of the type consistently employed by a few ‘cowboy’ operators should never have even been considered under WARO permits,” said Mr Dunne.

Heli-hunting entails either shooting a tahr or chamois directly from a helicopter or placing a hunter on the ground and herding the animal or animals towards him with the helicopter.

“It is not hunting, it’s killing.”

“For years ‘rat-bag’ operators have got away with this inhumane, barbaric practice, illegally using wild animal recovery permits to do so; well it’s time to put a stop to it.”

“For recreational hunters, trampers and climbers the advice of the Canterbury-Aoraki Board will come as a great relief.”

“For DoC, they must heed this advice, for too long the Department has been loathed to enforce the rules around helicopter assisted hunting and so has turned a blind eye to what everyone else knew was going on.”

“Those that go into the Southern Alps to hunt, tramp or climb deserve to know that DoC will illegalise heli-hunting and take action against helicopter operators and hunting guides that break the rules,” said Mr Dunne.

ENDS

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