Tens of thousands of New Zealanders are signing a petition to stop DOC’s plans for a mass killing of tahr in the Southern Alps.

The Change.org petition was started on Monday evening, shortly after revelations the Department of Conservation was planning a mass killing of thousands of tahr, including all animals in national parks.

The petition asks DOC “to halt the 2020-21 tahr cull and review the Himalayan Tahr Control Plan.”

Tahr Foundation spokesperson Willie Duley says the reaction to the petition is overwhelming.

“This is an amazing response – the petition got more than 20,000 signatures in the first 24 hours. And the figures just keep going up – overnight, people kept signing and this morning the total is nearing 30,000.”

“This level of support from tens of thousands of people shows the depth of feeling there is about DOC’s plans and the wide opposition that exists to the planned decimation of this highly valuable herd.”

“It also demonstrates the huge respect and admiration people have for these magnificent wild animals,” Willie Duley says.

DOC put its tahr kill plan into effect yesterday, but the Tahr Foundation has gone to the High Court asking for an interim injunction to stop the extermination campaign.

The Tahr Foundation has also started a Give A Little page for people to donate money to help fund the legal battle and Willie Duley says that has also seen a good response with $29,000 donated in just two days.

“Tahr are highly valued and people don’t want to see them wiped out. They are prepared to open their wallets and assist us pay for legal help to stop DOC and we are hugely grateful for that generosity,” he says.

“DOC’s plan is extreme and just not necessary. In the last two years, the number of tahr living in the alps has been nearly halved from 35,000 to 20,000. Of those left, only 5,000 are breeding nannies so the impact on the environment has been significantly reduced.”

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