Pest Control

The goat, pig and possum numbers in and around Whatamango Bay are out of control. I normally remove over 20 possums each year from my own section and the number of goats seen down on the road between Waikawa and Whatamango Bays is increasing. They are often seen on Council owned land near Sunshine Heights. They are a threat to the health of indigenous vegetation and increase soil loss and sediment discharge from the slopes, whether under pine forest (pig rooting) or under indigenous vegetation.

The large scale aerial goat cull held about three years ago was followed up by ground based shooting and there were reports of large numbers of possums browsing vegetation during daylight hours – clear evidence of the area being over-populated. While the Council does not have adequate funding for the control of feral pests on this scale, could the land owners be obliged to control possums more intensely. It is acknowledged that the aerial goat cull was largely funded by the land owners and the community is grateful for that work.

The use of leg hold traps for possum control needs to be policed to prevent ground setting which often leads to Weka deaths and maiming.

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