Significant tahr control was launched over the past year, with estimates that more than 12,000 tahr were culled in public conservation land by DOC with assistance from hunting groups. John Bisset/Stuff Himalayan tahr are known to cause damage to native plants in Conservation land (File)Forest and Bird's West Coast manager Nicky Snoyink said the numbers of tahr were far above what was stipulated in the Himalayan Tahr control plan. DOC tahr programme leader James Holborow had previously told Stuff he had hoped to get the new tahr control programme underway in July. Holborow has said the last tahr population count on conservation land estimated there to be about 35,000. Meanwhile, National Party Conservation spokesperson and Waitaki MP Jacqui Dean is calling on Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage to reconsider the tahr control operations.

Source: Stuff June 29, 2020 04:07 UTC