Whirinaki Rata bovine tuberculosis control operation postponed

 The Animal Health Board (AHB) has postponed the aerial bovine tuberculosis (TB) control scheduled to begin on Friday 9 July in Whirinaki Rata in order to allow a popular pig hunting competition to proceed.

The annual Hotel Murapara Pig Hunting Competition is being run between Friday 9 July and Sunday 11 July.  The toxic aerial flight will now take place in the first available weather window after 11 July.

Hunters are advised not to remain in the area after Sunday and to make sure that all their dogs are accounted for at the close of the competition.

AHB Northern North Island Regional Coordinator Frank Pavitt said that the aerial operation will be applying sodium fluoroacetate, or 1080, a toxin to which dogs are particularly susceptible.

“We have delayed the toxic application to allow this popular annual event to proceed and hunters in the operational area may find some of the non-toxic pre-feed bait on the ground. This is coloured brown and consists of cereal and sugar. The purpose of the pre-feed bait is to encourage possums to eat bait ahead of the toxic drop.

“Warning signs will be erected prior to the toxic application at all public entry points to the operational area and it is the responsibility of dog owners to ensure their animals are kept away from the area until these signs have been removed,” said Mr Pavitt.

The Whirinaki pest control operation, covering approximately 4200 ha, has been designed to maintain a buffer zone to prevent bovine TB from spreading to domestic livestock or wildlife in the Bay of Plenty region which is currently free of TB.

Scientific evidence shows that contact with infected wildlife is responsible for 70 per cent of new herd infections. The Whirinaki Rata operational area is located above an area of forest in which TB has been identified in wildlife.

For more information about the pig hunting competition, hunters should contact the organiser Eric Merriman on 07 366 5430.

For more information about the Whirinaki Rata aerial control operation, please contact the AHB Hamilton Office on 07 849 8910.

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