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Exotic Intruders
Chapter Fourteen — ... In the end
Chapter Fourteen
... In the end
The stance towards introduction and acclimatisation has changed drastically since this time last century. An example of this altered attitude is the reaction to a recent proposal to introduce mink in a ranch situation in New Zealand. Various figures in the New Zealand fur industry promoted the idea because mink is a luxury product that would not affect the economy in proposed markets: unlike butter or lamb, it would not be liable to protective levies and other trade barriers.
Before the Government would consider any legislation allowing the importation of this little animal, studies were set up by the Wildlife Service and the Nature Conservation Council, to investigate possible consequences if the mink was established and then escaped, which, considering the agility of the mustelid family, is extremely likely. The statement made was forthright and unequivocal: 'The impact of alien mammals on many of New Zealand's indigenous animals and ecosystems has been catastrophic. Importation of rabbits, hares, deer, goats, chamois, thar, ferrets, stoats, weasels, wallabies, and opossums, has in every instance given rise to serious ecological and/or economic problems. There is every reason to believe that the importation of mink, regarded in America as a "voracious predator second only to the wolverine" may give rise to problems even more serious than those encountered so far.'
What an indictment! And what a contrast to the free-and-easy introductions at the same time in the previous century. However it must be admitted, by the most conservative of nature conservators, that without exotic plants and animals the economy of New Zealand would not exist today: everyone would be living on imported food and tourism. In 1980 introduced animals provided 565 million dollars from sheepmeats, 851 million dollars from wool, 668 million dollars from cattle meat, 688 million dollars from dairy products—agricultural income adding up to 4 514 million dollars. Orchardists sold over 280 000 tonnes of fruits, all from exotic plants. In the same year were cut over two million cubic metres of timber, 97 percent of it exotic, by an industry that employs over 45 000 people.
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There are over three million feral goats in New Zealand, and they are considered a noxious animal—but if crossed with domestic goats, the wild does produce kids that rate highly for milk, meat and mohair. So some enterprising people are trying out goat farming—and are finding it very profitable.
Admittedly, introduced animals and plants have also contributed to weeds and pests. But, at a time of economic downturn when most farm receipts are reaching a record low, these noxious pests are being regarded with a new and speculative eye. Goats, for instance. There are three million feral goats which if crossed with domestic Angora goats, some imported from Tasmania, can produce kids that rate highly for milk, meat and mohair production. A lot of farmers are trying it and are doing well out of one of the most unpopular acclimatised animals. Similarly, enterprising folk are going in for opossum farming, and the future of the hard-wearing fur of this animal looks good; with an estimated population well in excess of 20 million opossums, there is plenty of scope.
The idea of the luxury fur of the mink certainly looked promising: the luxury fashion trade is dependable; it is not hampered by competition from subsidised industries overseas, not prone to limiting quotas—and it is extremely profitable. With the mink declared unavailable, the obvious move was to look around at the fur-bearing animals already established in New Zealand and so the fitch industry was born.
Richard Scaletti of Katikati decided to go into fitch-farming when he caught some ferrets in his opossum traps. An opossum-trapper and fur-fancier for years, his attention was taken by the very fine quality of the skins. So in 1977 he began farming them, calling them 'fitches' in memory of the difficulties the furriers early this page 262 century had in classifying the dark pelts of the New Zealand animals, which were a cross between the ferret and the polecat. He built up his stock from animals trapped in the wild and then bred them until he reached his present stock numbers of about 3 000. Mr Scaletti was surprised at how easy it was to keep fitches in large numbers, as they are so solitary and territorial in the wild; however he treats them with gentleness and affection, and they respond so well that he never needs to wear protective gloves. Being a pioneer in an enterprise has its disadvantages; he had no-one to turn to for advice, and had to write to the University of Cambridge, England, if he wanted any information. Mr Bayly, the Rabbit Inspector could have told him how prone the animals are to distemper; Richard Scaletti had to discover for himself that fitches also die if they catch human 'flu'. In the end he found it best to innoculate against both diseases, if possible, although flu is difficult because there are so many strains. The work involved is enormous, but the Scaletti family had their reward when in 1981 they received $40 per skin at the market.
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Fitch at Richard Scaletti's farm at Katikati.
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Fitch mother (jill) at Bay Furs, Waihi.
Bay Furs breed their fitches selectively for colouring, choosing animals with dark or black guard fur, and milky coloured underbelly fur. A study of the Hudson Bay Co. (London) auction prices showed that Scottish Highland fitch commanded the best average prices, so an approach was made to this company to obtain some of their stock for Bay Furs. In late 1981 the managing director of the Scottish firm, Newman Burberry, came to New Zealand and stayed with the partners, advising them on the breeding and production of quality furs. This was followed by the importation of 220 Highland fitch. The partners think that the expense involved in this is justifiable: a top quality fitch coat can fetch over thirty thousand dollars.
Straw and wood shavings are used for the nests. Because the best furs always come from cooler conditions no expensive heating is needed in the fitch houses. The animals at both fitch farms are fed on minced whole meat, at the rate of about a handful a day, depending on the size of the animal. Richard Scaletti, when he was first feeling his way in the business, tried out meat meal and processed foods, but they didn't do the job. The young wean at about six weeks, but start eating solid food after the first two weeks.
The importation of the Scottish fitches was made with the full cooperation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. And, in contrast to the frustrations and despair of Mr Bayly the Rabbit Inspector, with the advantages of air travel and modern veterinary medicine, not a single animal was lost.
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Fitch at Bay Furs, Wahi.
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Ron Osborne at Bay Furs, Waihi, in his fitch house.
Few cats enjoy car journeys.
—New Zealand Veterinary Association
And, indeed, with all animals, the transportation of live beasts today is fast and easy. Horses are regularly carried in large motorised horse transporters, and in well-equipped horse floats attached to the backs of cars. This is so efficient that horses travel by road as a routine, to and from race meetings, pony club gymkhanas and horse sales. Horses quickly become accustomed to tripping around the highways and byways of the countryside, only sometimes needing a tranquilliser on their first or second journeys.
Dogs are transported as a matter of course. Farmers and sportsmen carry working dogs in a box on the rear of the car or utility, or even in a ventilated car boot. Sheep and cattle carriers often carry dogs on the tray of the truck, or in a special box built behind the cab, and dogs can easily be trained to enjoy the journey without hopping onto the road at inconvenient places. Pet owners commonly carry their dogs with them inside the car, which can be rather tough on the dog, especially in hot weather. Cats are not as cooperative, and are best in a box or cage of some sort. Perhaps they, of all the introduced animals, would have preferred history to stop still at the time they paced the leisurely sailing ship.
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Loading horses onto a modern jet aircraft, 1979.
Transporting sheep and cattle is, of course, big business in New Zealand. Live animals are carried chiefly by road—air transport is expensive and rail transport subject to delays—in huge trucks that get the stock to the freezing works before their condition deteriorates. It is highly organised and highly efficient.
The economics of air transport ensure that the only stock carried in this way are pets and valuable breeding stock or thoroughbred racehorses; horses worth over 23 million dollars were exported in 1980. Animals don't mind air transport at all, appearing to find the drone of the aircraft very restful. Some airlines require animals to be tranquillised, but this condition varies from one airline to another. Cats and dogs have to be carried in boxes or cages, roomy enough for them to move around, except for greyhounds which require a narrow cage so that they can't turn round and damage themselves. The airline will often supply the cages, and will feed and water the animals at refuelling stops.
The first approved direct importation of horses by air was from Britain to New Zealand in 1972, and since then many horses have been exported and imported in this manner. The aircraft commonly used is the Boeing 707 freighter; its advantage is that its long range enables the crew to choose refuelling stops that are away from areas that have a high disease risk, such as South Africa with its rinderpest. It is an interesting phenomenon that some of the horses carried in this way show symptoms of a disease that was first described when horses were carried by sailing ship over a hundred years ago, and which was called 'board ship pneumonia', but is now more commonly known as 'shipping fever'. It appears that this disease, a type of pasteurellosis, is caused in great part by the stress of travelling long distances.
It can be avoided, or minimised in effect, by certain precautions. The horse should be drenched to eliminate intestinal parasites, and given electrolyte supplements for seven days prior to shipment. If the animal is travelling to a warmer climate, it is a good idea to give it a haircut. And lastly, a precaution that many humans take before travelling—no liquids for a couple of hours beforehand to avoid inconvenient bladder functioning. Bladder damage to horses can be caused by the stress of travel, particularly in stallions. A quiet calm atmosphere helps, just as Petre and Bills and Cook and Donne found out in their day. But all in all, air transport provides an ideal and rapid method of transferring horses—and other animals—from one country to another.
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The transporting of sheep and cattle within New Zealand is carried out chiefly by stock trucks—a business that is highly organised and highly efficient.
Not only is transportation so much easier today, but introduced plants and animals like goats, opossums and fitches are providing an enormous economic challenge to the farming industry, at a time when it seems that diversification may be the answer to economic problems. New enterprises are booming, from horticulture to deer.
Chinese gooseberries, as their name implies, are a native of China. The fruit, which grows wild in the valleys of China's Anhui Province, are known locally as monkey peaches—because they are small, brown and hairy, with a curly stalk tail. The plant was first grown in New Zealand at Wanganui by a Mr Alexander Allison. It is believed that he received some seed at the beginning of this century from a Mr James McGregor, who had collected it on a visit to China. Mr Allison's vines first fruited in 1910, and all Chinese gooseberry plants in New Zealand are descended from these few.
The possibility of growing Chinese gooseberries as a commercial crop was first considered about 1940, after some small plantings in the Bay of Plenty exceeded all expectations in the size and quality of their fruit. By 1970 about 400 hectares of Chinese gooseberries were under commercial cultivation, producing about 2 100 tonnes of fruit each year, and many more plants were just starting to come into production. The export future looked rosy: all the fruit needed was a new and glamorous title. The name 'kiwifruit' established it firmly in the minds of buyers as a product of New Zealand: many of them probably believe that it is a native and not introduced at all. The Chinese didn't mind; in fact they export it tinned under the label of'kiwifruit'.
Since then, with export incentives and a big publicity campaign, the export sales of kiwifruit have really taken off, in all senses of the term. Over 14 000 tonnes are air-freighted from New Zealand throughout the season, and single pieces of fruit can command prices of over a dollar. The fruit is grown mainly in the Bay of Plenty, but other areas, such as the Waikato, are showing signs that farmers there are willing to try what is becoming a gold-mine industry. Kiwifruit may even be grown in its home area of Wanganui—land there suitable for kiwifruit is currently fetching prices not far below the value of prime kiwifruit land in the Bay of Plenty.
Another introduced fruit which is gaining in popularity with growers is the tree tomato, which, like the kiwifruit, underwent a diplomatic change of name. This sub-tropical plant is a native of the Andean region of Peru, but New Zealand is the only country in the world that grows the fruit commercially. Growers, with the consent of the Department of Agriculture, in 1967 changed its name to tamarillo—a name they thought more exotic and appealing—to avoid any confusion with that very dissimilar fruit, the common garden tomato.
The first known record of the tamarillo in New Zealand is in the 1891-1892 catalogue of D. Hay and Sons, Nurserymen, of Parnell, Auckland. They had obtained the seeds from India in 1891, and these had grown into strong and healthy plants, priced at two shillings and sixpence each. The plants produced yellow and purple fruit only; the red variety which is so popular today was bred about 1918 by a Mr Bridge of Mangere, near Auckland. Other red varieties were imported from the United States not long afterwards. The commercial production of the fruit began in the 1920s, and with successful marketing the amount of land under cultivation for the fruit increased appreciably. However tamarillos are very seldom grown on their own, being found in combination with citrus and other sub-tropical fruits.
In farming today the move is towards diversification: exciting new methods of utilising exotic plants and animals. Deer farming, like fitch farming, collects its stock from the acclimatised feral animals that the country's ancestors introduced; it is an entirely new sort of farming, one that is either a bright promise for the future or else an eccentric episode in the history of acclimatisation in New Zealand.
Deer farming is here to stay. The Government will take steps to provide bona fide deer farmers and others licensed to capture these animals with the ways and means of meeting the demand for farm animals.
— Venn Young, Minister of Forests, 1979
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A helicopter being used to recover deer carcasses. Scenes like this were common in Fiordland in the 1960s, when businesses exporting venison to lucrative markets in Europe made immense profits out of the venture of shooting and ferrying of deer from helicopters like this one. Everyone did well—the helicopter operators, the exporters—and even the pilots and shooters.
The Wildlife Department of the State Forest Service was set up in 1931, and with the adoption of a killer policy, it hired professional hunters to slaughter deer. By 1973 over a million deer had been shot by full-time cullers. Most of the carcasses were left in the bush to rot, although some skins were taken.
In the meantime some enterprising people were wondering if there might not be some money to be made out of this untapped source of table meat. Two of these, Tim Wallis and Robert Wilson, went on a hunting trip into Fiordland and then cut up a deer carcass and packed the meat as an export sample. The result was encouraging. In 1963 they tried out a scheme of killing and collecting deer by helicopter. The operation went with military precision. At the end of the first hour over 200 deer had been shot; it took the rest of the day to ferry the carcasses out of the bush. The experiment was a resounding success; Robert Wilson went into marketing full-time and Tim Wallis continued organising the collection of venison.
A market was ready and waiting. Europeans, especially West Germans, were keen to pay luxury prices for venison. Asians were anxious to buy tails, tendons, velvet and testicles. The hunters began to use jet boats and Land Rovers in combination with helicopters. Buyers set up chiller houses on the fringes of the forests. Prices soared, and profits were enormous. Deer killing became big business—cut-throat business.
The New Zealand public watched bemused while reports of helicopter wars cropped up in the newspapers with regularity.
Then, suddenly but not surprisingly, deer became harder to find and harder to shoot. With the high costs of running helicopter expeditions, the profits began to diminish. Robert Wilson, and others, began to consider the tempting prospect of farming deer.
A Parliamentary Select Committee had received submissions asking for consideration of deer farming in 1963. There was strong opposition from conservationists but support from deer stalkers who wanted the pressure taken off the feral herds. Despite the controversy, new regulations were formulated in favour of the proposal. A difficulty then arose, as no one department was in charge of deer farming. The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries looked after experimental farming of exotic cattle such as Simmental and Charolais, but, while farming deer presented very similar problems, deer up to then had definitely been under the control of Forestry.
The situation is still rather vague. According to the Wild Animal Control Act 1977 and the 1979 Amendment, a farmer intending to farm deer must first notify the Director-General of Forests. The Forest Service will then inform him whether he is in a permitted area. Fences have to be erected according to fencing specifications: the fences must be made of 4.00 mm mild steel or 2.50 mm galvanised high tensile wire, or high tensile 2.50 galvanised mesh; the posts must be a minimum length of 2.7 metres with a minimum height above ground of 2 metres, spaced at a maximum of 5 metres apart.
Then the Department of Statistics requires a numerical return of births, deaths, purchases and disposals of deer, each and every year. If any disease in the herd is suspected, the farmer must immediately report this to the nearest office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, and he must undertake to comply strictly with their advice. Slaughtering and carcass processing on the farm must meet the requirements of the Meat Act 1964. According to the area, the local catchment board may have its own regulations as well.
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When hinds like these first appeared at stock sales, they commanded great interest—and prices in excess of $3 000.
The first deer farm permit was issued to a firm called Consolidated Traders and the farm was set up at Rahana station in 1970. This farm was the brainchild of a Wellington businessman. Rex Giles, who had been rearing fawns in the backyard of his suburban home on and off since the 1950s. This farm was the first of many. Some were already partly established, and needed only the permit to go ahead. In Southland fences had been built and a herd gathered on West Dome station in 1968. In 1973 another Southland station, Dunrobin—formerly the property of Christopher Basstian, that inveterate introducer of animals—started a herd. Now this farm covers 240 hectares and runs over a thousand head. From 1968 Tim Wallis had been bringing in live deer from his helicopter forays, and he established deer farms near Wanaka and Te Anau.
Deer farming was a brand-new business, with no overseas experiences to draw upon; deer parks had merely provided protection and care for hunting stags and breeding hinds. The farmers had to find their way by trial and error, like Richard Scaletti with his fitches. Some found deer needed shelter and windbreaks; others found bare paddocks were best. Mustering was a skill that had to be learned: deer can be led but never harried. Yards had to be designed. It was found that darkened sheds kept the animals quieter and more docile. Techniques of tagging and drenching had to be devised. Poaching was a big problem.
The stock for the farms came from two sources: wild deer captured alive, and deer sold by other farmers. Rearing wild fawns was often profitable, but deer that are too tame can present problems, as the stags can be very unreliable and dangerous during the roar; hinds that are affectionate to a human during the season can prompt the stag to wreak his jealous wrath on the rival.
Breeds of deer came to be preferred, some farmers choosing stock from the Rakaia herd, as it had a reputation for big bones and meaty carcasses. Hunters had judged stags by their heads, but farmers learned to look for conformation and good temperament. In many ways managing deer was easier than expected, as deer are not choosy eaters like sheep and cattle; they clear up all the grass in a paddock in a methodical fashion, and they have a good concept of pecking order, so that the herd will follow the lead hind with no fuss and bother once she has been persuaded to take the desired route. However management during the rut and fawning can present major problems.
Wild deer are often caught by trapping, simply by leaving a gate open to a paddock that wild deer like to visit, and then quietly closing it in the middle of the night. Some farmers built one-ended ramps, so that deer could walk over the fenceline but not get back. Deer were even driven into enclosures by herding them out of wild country with motorbikes, Land Rovers and spotlights.
These methods of trapping only worked on farms that bordered forests where wild deer lived. Other farmers had to travel into the bush and set temporary traps. These had the disadvantage of catching wild pigs, sheep and cattle, as well as deer. There was also the problem of getting the deer from the trap to the farm. Tranquilliser darts were developed to cope with this, but the panic-stricken state of the trapped deer made dart-shooting a feat that was difficult to carry out.
Tranquilliser guns are the mainstay of the helicopter hunters. It was soon found that tranquillisers have the disadvantage of being slow-acting, so that the deer often page 272 disappear into the bush before dropping unconscious. Tranquillising can also be harmful to the animal, and a depressingly large percentage of those tracked and tranquillised die of the after-effects of the shock and traumatic slowing down of the metabolic rate. Some antidotes have been devised, so that the captured deer can immediately be injected to minimise these. Helicopter hunters have devised nets that are dropped or propelled by a net gun to catch the animals, but this is very dangerous for both the deer and the operator. A sort of 'stun gun' has been devised by Tim Wallis: two darts are fired simultaneously; when they hit the deer an electrical charge is passed through them, paralysing the animal as long as the current is on. When the deer is secured the current is turned off, and the animal regains control over its muscles with no after-effects. Tranquilliser darts containing a tiny electronic bleeper have also been devised, so that the unconscious deer can be more easily tracked down.
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A leap for freedom.
Despite its short life deer farming has experienced one major change already. The business was started as a source of venison for the lucrative West German market, to make up for the growing scarcity of wild game. Because of this the farms were planned with rapid production of meat in mind, with young stags being slaughtered and hinds kept for breeding, like the cattle business. About 1976 the realisation dawned on the farmers that the Germans, while they said they wanted venison really wanted game, and farmed venison isn't game, no matter how similar the taste might be. At the same time they noted that Korean businessmen were paying good prices for velvet. An adjustment in planning was made, so that the killing of stags was put off for a year or two to take advantage of this novelty market. Within a year all thoughts of killing stags were abandoned, as the price for velvet shot upwards. In 1977 it page 273 fetched S35 per pound, in 1978 it jumped to S95 a pound, and in 1979 it reached over SI00 a pound, as other Asian buyers competed with the Koreans for the product.
Velvet, along with pizzles, sinews and tails, is eagerly sought after by Eastern traders for oriental medicines. The advantage of velvet is that the animal does not have to be killed for the harvest, and velvet takes less than 60 days to grow. When the antlers are growing they are covered with a soft brown tissue richly filled with blood vessels. Bone develops inside this tissue, starting from the head and growing upwards. The harvesting of velvet involves tranquillising the stag with a dart in the rump, and then injecting the base of the antlers with a painkiller, a job done under the supervision of a vet. The antlers-are then cut at the base with a saw. A tourniquet prevents bleeding and the cut antler stubs are swabbed and disinfected. While certainly one of the oddest of New Zealand's exports, velvet is of great importance to the deer farming industry; with the high profits it yields, the farmer can establish his venture on a sound economic footing while feeling his way into the venison trade.
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A herd of deer being fed with silovated choumollier at a deer farm near Atiamuri. Deer quickly become used to being fed out, and the lead hind can usually be tempted to lead the herd on a desired route by being shown an enticing bucket of tidbits.
The success of velvet exports has tended to overshadow the fact that the deer is a very good meat-producing animal. Weight is put on as muscle, not fat. Venison, because of its low cholesterol content, is a healthy food, as well as having great novelty value; hence it can demand high prices. The profit to the farmer is also increased in that the deer is an efficient feed-conversion animal, showing an excellent return for money spent on feed. In 1981 a Ministry of Agriculture report put the gross return from deer at S1 395 a hectare, compared with S228 from ewes and S900 from dairy cows.
Prices for a good mature hind reached about S3 000 in 1979, and have since dropped to about half that sum. However even at reduced prices it can be expensive to set up a deer herd. Because of this many enterprising farmers sell half-shares in hinds to city 'farmers'. Under that sort of arrangement the farmer owns the stags and all the facilities, while the investors take half the return from the hinds. For both parties it is highly profitable.
Deer farmers are reluctant to involve themselves with the freezing industry, the trials of which have done much to impoverish many sheep farmers. So the Game Industry Association is intensely interested in providing small regional slaughter houses, next to registered Game Packing Houses. This development would do much to transfer the emphasis from velvet to venison.
One deer farmer—like Rod Osbourne with his fitches—is keen to improve his stock with fresh breeding animals. This is Dr W. F. Otway, who imported two stags and three hinds in April 1982. Dr Otway owns a deer farm north of Auckland and wanted to open a deer stud. The new deer, like the ancestors of the New Zealand deer, were from a deer park—Warnham Park, England. Dr Otway believed that the best deer in New Zealand were killed by hunters and the poorer specimens were left to develop, so that as a result New Zealand red deer are not of as good quality as they might be.
His venture was dogged with misfortune. He intended to fly his deer out in November 1981, after the statutory month's quarantine, but the foot-and-mouth scare broke out in England in the meantime, and, as the U. S. authorities would not allow any stock of British origin to land in American territory, and as the plane had to refuel in Honolulu, the deer had to remain behind in quarantine. They stayed there, at a cost to Dr Otway of a thousand pounds a month, until they were released to fly to New Zealand the following April—the first deer to be imported to New Zealand in seventy years.
The future of deer farming is still uncertain, as up to the present time the industry has gone through one change after another, from tentative initial interest, through helicopter forays for wild venison, to the setting up of farms for farmed venison; from the disappointment of the non-acceptance of farmed venison in Europe, to the intoxication of wildly soaring prices for velvet. Deer have been bred and sold for meat, bred and sold for stock, and bred and maintained for velvet. It still remains to be seen what the final stance of the industry will be. Deer farming may turn out to be merely one of the zanier moments in the history of acclimatisation in New Zealand. Many people think that the industry is ill-fated and will disappear when the novelty market for venison goes and oriental medicine becomes cultural history. Others think that the future of the industry will exceed the most optimistic of expectations. Only time will tell.
Deer given a lift
The first major deer lift was carried out in June 1980, and went very smoothly. The deer were transported by Bristol freighter from Nelson to Hamilton and appeared to take the journey quite calmly, aided by an antistress drug and hoods to keep them in the dark and serene. They were carried out of the plane by strong arms or on stretchers, and appeared to quite enjoy the attention.
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There is another wild animal, present in abundance, that has been farmed overseas for a long time. It is the rabbit.
I personally see domestic rabbits as a resource through which we could increase our overseas funds by production and processing of furs and the export of meat.
—Duncan Maclntyre, Minister of Agriculture, 1979
Up until 1980, under the Animals Act, it was possible for the Animal Health Division to allow importation of rabbits, but under the Agricultural Pest Destruction Act, the rabbit was classified as a pest, and could not be kept without a permit. This ruling included zoos, hospitals, research laboratories, and agricultural colleges. However, on the 22nd January 1980 this all changed. The Agricultural Pests (Exemption of Domestic Rabbits) Order 1980 came into effect, stating that exempt from the Agricultural Pests Act were the breeds of rabbits, New Zealand white, angora, Flemish giant, rex, chinchilla, and Californian, subject to the conditions that (a) every such rabbit shall at all times be securely housed or restrained in such a manner as will prevent its escape; (b) a rabbit shall not be kept in such a manner as will allow it to range freely or to graze pasture; and (c) a rabbit of any breed specified in the Schedule hereto shall not be cross-bred with a feral or wild rabbit.
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A real live cuddly bunny—an eight year old lass takes a shine to a Chinchilla rabbit.
The rabbit varieties allowed were carefully chosen as ones that would not survive in the wild if accidentally liberated. This was a very controversial Order, and is still so, as the interbreeding of these domestic rabbits and the hardy feral rabbits would be impossible to prevent if the domestic rabbit escaped, despite the sternly worded condition (c). Within weeks of the sudden craze for pet rabbits that followed this Order in Council, infuriated gardeners were growling about the white furry animals that were getting out of insecure home-made hutches and into their sections.
The intention of the government, in allowing certain breeds of rabbit to be kept, was certainly not that of providing cuddly pets for children. In 1973 Mr Moyle, then Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, tried to get rabbit farming legalised. He failed, but the Labour Government was not the only one to be tempted by the idea of rabbit carcasses to be sent over to the meat-hungry British housewife. In 1978 the Under Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Mr Bolger, told the Pests Destruction Council that he would like to caution them 'against taking a stance that will commit you to stopping what could, in the right circumstances in the future, become a viable and worthwhile food industry.'
The Pest Destruction Board was not happy about any changes in the rabbit legislation because of the historical background to the rabbit problem: in the 1930s there was a thriving surreptitious rabbit farming industry in New Zealand, with wild rabbits being allowed to breed in the summer so that a harvest of skins and carcasses could be reaped in the winter. The only way to stop this activity had been the massive levies on the skins, followed by restrictive legislation. The Council's reasoning in opposing any change to the law was that, once the sale of rabbit meat was legal, housewives and restauranteurs might not be too fussy about the origin of the meat they were buying. Farmed rabbit is paler, and the carcasses are much bigger, but once the meat is cut up and in a stew, the differences aren't apparent at all.
The Government believed that rabbit farming would be a positive development in areas which would benefit from increased farming output, and that it would increase employment possibilities in areas where there was little intensive industry. The businesses interested in rabbit farming were the poultry and stock-feed industries, which were prepared to put large sums of money into setting up breeding houses. The system would be that female rabbits would systematically produce litters every few weeks, and the young rabbits would be fed with a low fibre high protein diet which would turn them into 'friers' in eight weeks. In short the rabbit industry would be just like the poultry industry in New Zealand today. The advantage to the businessmen is that the British housewife buys a lot of rabbit, so there is a market ready and waiting, while the British housewife is not interested in New Zealand poultry in the slightest.
The prospect of rabbit farming, despite the high initial outlay of finance required, is made more attractive by the sideline in furs. At present New Zealand imports about a hundred thousand skins a year, mostly from France. They are dressed here, and some of them are re-exported. However the fact must be kept in mind that farmed rabbits produce a pelt that is greatly inferior to that of the wild rabbit. At the moment, however, the wide publication and practice of conservation means that furs are scarce all over the world, and furriers are glad of any skins; nonetheless the rabbit would be no competitor for the fitch as far as quality went.
In 1979 the New Zealand Institute of Agricultural Science (North Otago-South Canterbury Section) produced a report on the economies of rabbit farming. They concluded, on looking at likely prices, that rabbits here would be so expensive to feed and put on the market that the wholesale price would be higher than the supermarket price for imported Chinese rabbit. Taking account of the price for skins, and adding on the likely profit, they still came to the conclusion that any New Zealand industry would not be able to compete with overseas producers. In the domestic market, they believed, rabbit meat would only compete with poultry meat, so that if the housewife bought rabbit, it would be a substitute for chicken, and therefore would make very little difference to the state of the economy; if it was the poultry farmers who farmed the rabbits, then it would make little difference to their profits either, especially when the cost of setting up the rabbit farm was considered. 'It would appear then,' they concluded, 'that there would be no advantage to the economy from a rabbit meat industry.'
Dalgety's, a firm which has substantial interests in the stock-feed industry, made submissions that were definitely in favour of the establishment of rabbit farming in New Zealand. They claimed that there are markets for rabbit throughout Europe and that as well as a market for whole carcasses, there is some demand for rabbit offal and rabbit heads for industrial use. They also submitted that the main supplier for the European market is China, that they themselves could find good outlets for the New Zealand product that would welcome the competition.
It would appear that the main advantage to New Zealand of a rabbit farming industry is that the product can be sold on the overseas market, unlike poultry. There is also the matter of the fur—if fashion so decreed, there could be an export bonanza. Once again, only the future can tell.
In the meantime, the only overt result of the change in rabbit legislation was the short-lived craze for pet rabbits. At the beginning the price for domestic rabbits was high; since then it has plummeted as the animals have lost popularity. After all, you can't take a rabbit for a walk.
Neither can one take a goldfish for a walk, but people interested in aquaria represent the largest hobby group in New Zealand. Societies exist throughout the country, with a membership of thousands. Exotic animals kept in aquaria range from tropical-freshwater and marine species, through goldfish to various amphibia like salamanders. Perhaps some of these have been liberated, accidentally or deliberately, but they do not appear to have done too much harm to the environment, unlike the weed tipped out at the same time, which can develop rapidly into a major pest.
The animals that the settlers brought in as pets are, on the whole, still flourishing as pets. Throughout the country there are 41 cagebird clubs and specialist bird societies, with the coordinating body being the New Zealand Federation of Cage Bird Clubs (Inc.). Budgerigars are particularly popular. Pigeons are still surprisingly well liked: the Wildlife Amendment Act 1959 protects pigeons owned by members of clubs affiliated with the New Zealand Pigeon Federation. Pigeons have acclimatised themselves, and most towns and cities in New Zealand have wild pigeon populations, much to the disgust of the council workers who have to clean down monuments and buildings. Some people still keep bantams and ornamental fowls, but in many towns page 279 and cities there are bylaws forbidding this because of noise and smell disturbance-many people consider that these fowls encourage rats.
Mice and rats themselves are reasonably popular as pets, with the white ones being preferred by owners and conservationists alike, as this laboratory variety cannot survive in the wild if there is an accidental liberation. Rats are probably preferable to mice, as they don't smell quite as musty. They are intelligent, and can become very tame and affectionate. Guineapigs are popular with children and also have the advantage of not being able to survive in the wild. There are three cavy clubs in New Zealand, and their members compete to produce guineapigs of certain colour conformations. The vast majority of guineapigs would not be shown at cavy competitions, however, as they are quite random in colour and pattern and live in home-made hutches in a multitude of back gardens. They, like cats, cannot be counted.
There are always the citizens who, like Sir George Grey, enjoy novelty pets and exotic animals around them. Apparently there is one private individual in New Zealand who has a permit to keep a pet monkey. All other monkeys appear to be held in licensed zoos. People can keep opossums if they apply for permission from the Forest Service although there would seem to be a definite health risk. Similar documentation is needed to keep deer as pets. Deer parks are licensed under the Zoological Parks Regulations 1969. A few people also like reptiles, and keep exotic lizards, turtles, terrapins and tortoises. Keeping snakes, however, despite the occasional entreaty, is very strictly forbidden.
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A judge, Mr Jack Whitcorth, weighs up a guinea pig at the Waikato branch of the Auckland Rabbit Breeders Association's open rabbit and cavy show, June 1981. 'Feeling comfortable?' he asks.
Another major contribution from our acclimatised fauna and flora is in the realm of tourism. New Zealand has a wide range of attractions for the tourist with features such as thermal areas, magnificent lakes and fiords, glaciers, alpine regions, and unrivalled fishing and other sporting opportunities. One only needs to go to Rotorua or Taupo to appreciate this. The trout themselves are valuable for more than their tourist potential. That some entrepreneurs will pay big money for trout and ask no questions about where they come from is shown in the increasing problem of poaching.
The sport of deer or chamois shooting may seem a little difficult to undertake while on a two-week package tour, but the Tourist Department is very aware of possibilities in this direction. While deer and chamois are still regarded as noxious animals, the areas where they live freely are now registered as Recreational Hunting Areas, and intensive studies are being carried out to find out what the optimum population of the animals should be—how big the population could grow before irremediable damage is done to the environment, and, more important in the light of the tourist industry and modern thought about New Zealand's future, how many of these animals could be shot without doing their population irremediable damage. No longer is the aim to wipe out high-country animals to the last beast. The irresistible attraction of hunting some of the world's best game in some of the world's best scenery is at last being recognised.
A Rotorua man has set up the first wild game hunting reserve in the country, leasing 324 hectares of land in the bushclad Mamakus near Rotorua and stocking the area with top quality stags, bighorn rams, wild goats and wild boars. He has distributed a brochure throughout the world inviting hunters to his secret location, promising that every deer shot in his reserve will be of superior quality. He is not aiming this project at the New Zealand deerstalker, but at the Japanese, German, Korean, Swiss or American who is wealthy enough and keen enough to want to secure a top-class trophy in a limited time. The ultimate will be to shoot a boar, a sheep, a goat and four species of deer in one day. How Donne would have loved it!
The question poses itself as to whether naturalised animals are necessarily noxious. It is suggested that New Zealand will come of age ecologically when man and his animal and plant introductions are regarded as part of the natural environment. Despite the criticism from conservationists of the free-and-easy way animals were introduced in the past, in the event New Zealand is very fortunate. There are few pests and diseases, due more to good luck than good judgement, certainly, but a situation now maintained by careful policing of goods and people arriving. The wildlife of New Zealand is a rich amalgum of old and new, native and introduced. It is unique, and should be preserved in its entirety, avoiding the old-fashioned and impossible philosophy that anything native is 'good' and anything introduced is 'bad'. It must be understood that anything limited or removed by man and his introduced animals was not a strong survivor anyway. It went because it was delicate. New Zealand at the present day has a more balanced and resilient ecology than ever before.