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Post by kiwithrottlejockey on Oct 15, 2009 13:16:54 GMT 12
1080 pilot tells of death threatsBy MARK HOTTON in Queenstown - The Southland Times | 5:00AM - Thursday, 15 October 2009One of the south's top helicopter pilots has had death threats, fuel contaminated, and faced wires strung across gullies by opponents of 1080 poisoning, but remains committed to the job, a biosecurity conference in Queenstown was told yesterday.
Helicopters Otago managing director and chief pilot Graeme Gale said he preferred the term "toxic bait", rather than 1080, because of the emotion and anger it generated.
"We're hell-bent on doing the job but we are getting a lot of flak."
He said protesters could be "a real pain in the bum", but he respected their argument and point of view.
"But I've got a really big issue with them threatening my family and my staff."
He was happy for them to protest but their actions could be distracting when flying, he said.
Mr Gale is involved in the 1080 poison drops in Otago and Fiordland.
During his speech at the New Zealand Biosecurity Institute NETS conference, he outlined advances in aerial pest management strategy.
"We've taken a leap forward with improved buckets and GPS systems and taken it to another level."
GPS enabled a helicopter's movements to be closely tracked so excluded areas could be avoided but there was a significant amount of work required behind the scenes to ensure a successful baiting programme.
"Our aim is to spread accurately and evenly over the block."
In the past, up to 40kg of 1080 had been dropped per hectare but the technology improvements meant less than 1kg was being applied at times, he said.
Mr Gale was also involved in the Campbell Island rat eradication programme, the largest of its kind in the world.www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/2964976/1080-pilot-tells-of-death-threats
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Post by boblace on Apr 16, 2011 4:14:39 GMT 12
Do you still use 1080 and what are you targetting? For several months I baited foxes and feral cats over here. The GPS programme automatically closed a shutter when we flew into exclusion zones, thus preventing bait dropping. www.dec.wa.gov.au/content/category/45/299/1631/We used 3 styles of bait. 1. Dried meat...fatty 'roo meat chunks. for foxes 2. Probait, a sausage sized bait, for foxes 3 Eradicat, a finger sized bait, for feral cats 1080 occurs naturally in many native plants here so our native fauna have a higher tollerance than introduced species. Good flying...  Cheers, |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 16, 2011 9:57:47 GMT 12
1080 is used to kill possums, ferrets, stoats, weasals and rats, all of which kill the native birds and other wildlife.
If the protestors are so worried about their environment they should focus their energies on shooting possums, not threatening helicopter owners. The 1080 drops are not pleasant but they work, and work well. They cleared all the introduced predator species from Mount Maungatautari which is now a world renowned wildlife enclosure with flourishing birdlife including many rare types including kiwi and takahe. The results are far better than not using poison.
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Post by strikemaster on Apr 16, 2011 12:58:29 GMT 12
100% agree, Dave. It is a war and we are loosing so any advantage should be taken.
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Post by thomarse on Apr 16, 2011 15:20:37 GMT 12
This is probably a bit too political but.....
I hate the bloody stuff.
I hate possums more, and what they do to Godzown.
I've seen the results of 1080, literally in my own back yard. I've now got indigenous birdlife like never before and undergrowth that I can't even name- broadleaf natives that I've never seen in 62 years in the same place.
For now I'll put up with 1080 as a short-term expedient, but don't like the idea of it being a long-term solution.
BTW, we developed a way of in-breeding sterility into possums a number of years ago. One guess why we're not allowed to use it?
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Post by oj on Apr 16, 2011 21:05:44 GMT 12
I'm a bit hick here thomarse. Don't be shy; tell us why not.
"BTW, we developed a way of in-breeding sterility into possums a number of years ago. One guess why we're not allowed to use it?"
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Post by boblace on Apr 17, 2011 4:06:52 GMT 12
Having seen the carnage they do I have no qualms about baiting foxes and feral cats. We dropped baits from Beechcraft Barons on a 1 km. line at 2.4 second intervals at 160 knots at 500 feet but went down to 150 ft along the beaches to reduce the chances of dropping near camping sites. Normally 2 x 4 hour flights per day dropping 1000 baits per hour was hard going and messy when the baits thawed out! All areas were extensively posted with warning signs. Our motto was "Don't lick yer fingers" Cheers |
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Post by thomarse on Apr 17, 2011 14:25:34 GMT 12
OJ
Because it's "genetic engineering" and therefore is not p.c. in this mamby-pamby, pussy-footing, part-time tree-hugging Nancy state of mind we live in.
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Post by Officer Crabtree on Apr 17, 2011 17:09:52 GMT 12
Well, in Year 8 biotech we did a whole term on how scientists had developed a way of a peice of DNA into a mossie that would bite the possum and leave it not being able to breed.
More humane, only one species, why on earth not?
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