READ MORE:* DOC told to reconsider tahr cull programme* Hundreds expected to join convoy in protest of Government's tahr cull* Forest and Bird challenges DOC's tahr cull planThe planned protest will have participants meet at the tahr statue at Lake Pukaki’s visitor centre at 11am before making their way in convoy to Aoraki/Mt Cook – which is about 52 kilometres away. "I don’t think the current tahr control programme struck a balance between conservation and recreational hunting opportunities.”The New Zealand Tahr Foundation (NZTF) had challenged DOC’s proposed tahr control programme, saying the cull was “excessive” and there had been a lack of consultation with the hunting community. "We’re still fighting on this one, we hope to get back to the consulting table with DOC.”Duley said the NZTF “absolutely” supported the Thar Jam protest going ahead. “This ruling confirms that tahr control is well overdue, and they must be removed entirely from National Parks, in accordance with the law,” Snoyink said. However, according to Justice Dobson’s reserved decision, the tahr hunting industry may have “grown to an extent that it requires a herd of more than twice the maximum considered appropriate for conservation purposes”.

Source: Stuff July 12, 2020 01:52 UTC