DOC: Poison not to blame for penguin, dolphin deaths

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Mon, 21 Sep 2009 7:10p.m.

Hauraki Gulf

Hauraki Gulf

A fortnight ago several unexplained animal deaths began occurring in the Hauraki Gulf.

Penguins, dolphins and fish started to wash up on beaches, just after DOC dropped a poison called brodifacoum on both Rangitoto and Motutapu Islands.

DOC said it was a coincidence, but agreed to run tests on some of these animals anyway.

This afternoon, we got the results. There is brodifacoum in two of the penguins, but not enough to kill them, according to DOC.

"All the tests are showing it's unrelated," says Richard Griffiths, DOC. "Our test show dogs aren't dying of brodificoum. The pilchards died of a virus, the penguins are starving and the dolphins too.

"The symptoms shown by those animals shows it's certainly not brodifacoum."

The next day DOC announced it would test the penguins for brodifacoum, and those test results show some do have low levels of brodifacoum in their livers.

Campbell Live speaks to Richard Griffiths, DOC, and Dr Shaun Ogilvie, wildlife management lecturer at Lincoln University.
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Comments

20 Nov 2010 10:02a.m.

Baza wrote:

The usual line of spin from DoC which is why they have aquired the dubious distinction of being the most mistrusted and disliked government department in the country. Pity the TV interviewers can't see through this. I think if I was a penguin and had a gutsfull of brodifacoum I would propably die of starvation too. The difference between life and death with predators (and penguins are predators), comes down to the fine line of ability to catch food. The flick of a tail or flipper can make the difference between life and death. A sub-lethal dose of brodifacoum may not in itself kill the penguin but by destroying its ability to feed, the end result is the same.

13 Jun 2010 09:25p.m.

Fabi wrote:

What a load of sh....! Very typical DOC. sililar to 1080 airial drops...

25 Oct 2009 11:47p.m.

hereNthere wrote:

incredibull penguins starving to death when they are surrounded by water and all there food source that is in it!!! has this country got the only penguins in the world that can't swim? Cambull as long as you keep sucking up to those paid govt liars, you'll keep your high paid job plus a bonus...30 pieces of silver, i think is the judas price.

26 Sep 2009 07:27a.m.

Paul wrote:

I have a couple of theories of how the penguins may have become mysteriously contaminated by Brodifacoum. 1) It may be because they sneaked off the beach at night, walked to the local DIY store, found a packet of rat poison, had a yummy midnight feast, and went back to the beach and died. 2) Or it may have something to do with the 147 tons of the stuff Doc dropped on Rangitoto and Motutapu. I rest my case.

23 Sep 2009 12:11p.m.

Chaz wrote:

'Brodifacoum is highly lethal to mammals and birds and extremely lethal to fish. It is classified as 'extremely toxic' and considered an environmental pollutant' wikipedia.org The World Health Organisation do not advise the ariel dropping of Brodifacoum OR it's use near water. DoC MUST be held accountable for what they are doing to the environment.... aerial spraying must STOP. If you have any interest in what is happening please look at the work of the Graf brothers on thegrafboys.blogspot.com and if you get the chance- watch their documentary Poisoning Paradise - 1hr and 55 mins of distress, cruelty, horror, ecocide, cover-ups and contaminations. The support for them is growing and rightly so..... and for those of you who like to band around the conspiracy theorist label.....'Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth' - Einstein. Watch your backs DoC!

23 Sep 2009 09:16a.m.

Peter Laszlo wrote:

These Department of Cretins representatives are bare faced liars. How in God's name can a dolphin die of starvation in the open sea. I hope their children and families will disown them if they don't they'll be the next generation of lying fools.

22 Sep 2009 09:15p.m.

Pi Wakawaka wrote:

I can't believe how full of it this DoC guy is: DoC dumps over a tonne of poison pellets in the sea and then expresses amazement that penguins have eaten them (and in the winter, when they advise "the penguins are starving). They're either thick, or just think we are.

22 Sep 2009 08:25p.m.

Carol wrote:

Phil
Auckland zoo is owned by Auckland City Council.
Landcare NZ is a government department.
Much of the work that the Cawthron Institute carries out is funded from local and regional councils and DoC
Notice the similarities

22 Sep 2009 08:07p.m.

Anne wrote:

Where is the rest of the infomation on what is actually going on here. Your headline for this news report is misleading Brodificoum was found in the penguins and that is the fact. Please state what the level was of the poison rather than us being told by doc it was low levels.

22 Sep 2009 11:01a.m.

Tony wrote:

How can everyone be surprised at these results when it has happened on a large scale in Hawaii, probably in an operation performed by NZ experts (the world leaders in poisoning the environment).