Remember the Rangitoto drop

Remember July 2009 when, in a DoC aerial poisoning operation over Rangitoto and Motutapu Islands, toxic brodifacoum pellets were dropped into the sparkling blue waters of the Hauraki Gulf, the popular recreational fishing area of NZ's largest city?

Over the ensuing weeks, thousands of pilchards, along with penguins, sea slugs, dolphins and whales were washed up on beaches or found dead in the area.

Brodifacoum is an effective anticoagulant rat poison and is extremely persistent in the environment. Animals, birds or fish consuming the poison pellets can accumulate the poison in their flesh, which can stay toxic for up to twelve months afterwards.

June 24th 2010, a DoC helicopter drops 700 kgs of Brodifacoum poison into a pristine Fiordland lake and DoC announces that a full investigation has been launched.
This means the Dept of Conservation will be investigating "their own accident."

Last year many Aucklanders were angry at the devastation of marine life but DoC managed to fob them off with the usual lines. It apparently wasn't the rat poison that killed all these creatures, even though traces were found in their carcasses. It was a mere coincidence that these creatures died shortly after the poison drop.
It was never mind, what you can't see won't hurt you, don't worry people, just carry on fishing as usual.

Will anyone care about the accidental spillage of 700 kgs of this same lethal toxin in a small lake in the deep south; a pristine lake in the midst of kakapo country - one of our most precious endangered species?

It's time for a National ban on the aerial broadcast and transportation of these indiscrimate poisons in our country. With the distribution of tonnes of these poisons over our bush, forest and farmland, " Clean Green NZ" is a joke.

But we're not laughing, and neither are our overseas consumers and tourists for, after each aerial drop, "accidental" poisoning or toxic spillage, people are seeing the real harm we are doing to our wildlife, our environment and to our 100% Pure image.

ENDS

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