A partnership between Environment Canterbury, the Department of Conservation and the Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust has significantly reduced feral goat numbers on Banks Peninsula.
“Eradicating feral goats will help native vegetation flourish. The control programme seeks to eliminate feral goats from public land, and with landowner support, from private land,” says Eugenie Sage, Environment Canterbury pest portfolio chair and Banks Peninsula/Selwyn regional councillor.
“Control is carried out by professional hunters with dogs and excellent progress has been made, with 3837 feral goats killed since 2003. As with any eradication programme, the remaining few are the most difficult to find. Any information from the community about remaining goats is welcome,” she says.
Local landowner and Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust spokesperson, Pam Richardson typifies the way the community has got behind the programme.
“I used to see goats quite regularly around the Peninsula and became quite good at recognising their sign and the damage they cause. I’d make a simple phone call and later in the week, I’d hear the shots and know they’d been dealt to. These days, sightings are so rare I hardly have to pick up the phone,” she says.
“It’s good to know that sharper eyes than mine are on the look out too. We mustn’t let up until the last one’s gone.”
People who see feral goats or goats with no ear tags on Banks Peninsula, can call Dave Hunter on 03 3251215 or 0274374743.
For further information: Environment Canterbury Pest Management Committee Chair and Banks Peninsula/Selwyn Councillor, Eugenie Sage, 021 155 3937.
Background
Browsing by feral goats damages some native plant communities, reducing the quality and quantity of habitat on which some of Banks Peninsula’s unique native species depend. Goats also spread disease such as parasites and foot rot and compete with stock for grazing.
Feral goats have been present on Banks Peninsula since the late 1800s. Numbers increased dramatically in the 1980s when their commercial value plummeted and escapees from farms were no longer worth recovering.
A liaison committee was formed in 1988 to facilitate control but this was only partially effective, achieving modest reductions in some areas. Control measures commenced in earnest in 2003, with the cost of operations by professional hunters shared between Environment Canterbury, DOC and the Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust.
Three significant feral goat populations remain – at Purau, on the shores of Lake Forsyth/Te Wairewa and in upper McQueens Valley. The agencies are liaising with landholders to control these.
For more information about the feral goat control programme regionwide, contact Graham Sullivan, Environment Canterbury Biosecurity Manager 03 687 7835.