On Tuesday I wrote that the Northland Age was not aware of incontrovertible evidence that 1080 kills birds (An unwinnable war). This is patently untrue.
The point I was trying to make was that there was no evidence of bird deaths in the Far North, despite offers, which were never taken up, to pay for the examination of dead birds, specifically kiwi, to prove they had been poisoned, and that I did not believe that entire forests had fallen silent as a result of 1080 use.
There is no doubt that the toxin has killed birds, and will continue to do so, notably weka and ruru, which are susceptible to secondary poison as the result of eating carrion. The question remains whether the loss of some birds is an acceptable price to pay for the saving of many, including entire species.
Peter Jackson
Editor
Northland Age
