Forest & Bird employees Nicky Snoyink and Gavin White looking at a devastated forest floor in the Catlins. However, Doc’s finite resources do not stretch to pest controlling Catlins ungulates - meaning hooved animals deer, pigs and goats. Caged plants tell the storyOne Catlins landowner is the charity Forest & Bird, which owns the Lenz forest reserve near Papatowai. To demonstrate the difference between a deer-free and a pest-riddled forest floor, Forest & Bird built an "exclusion pen" in the reserve in 2017. The plan is being prepared by Catlins Pest Management, set up specifically to help lead strategic thinking and planning to control pests in the Catlins.

Source: Otago Daily Times March 10, 2026 16:13 UTC