Doc releases revised tahr plan

Himalayan tahr. Photo / Stephen Jaquiery

The Department of Conservation has released its "reconsidered" tahr control operation plan for 2020 and 2021 but is warning it will not satisfy everyone.

In July, a High Court decision allowed DoC to undertake half of its planned 250-hour tahr control programme for the 2020-21 season, while it consulted stakeholders such as the Tahr Foundation and reconsidered its operational plan.

Operations director Dr Ben Reddiex said DoC analysed oral and written submissions from 14 stakeholders.

"With an open mind we have considered a wide range of submissions ... representing the interests of recreational and commercial tahr hunters, as well as conservationists, recreationists and statutory bodies," Reddiex said.

"While DoC considered each request from stakeholders, the finalised operational plan will not be able to completely satisfy all stakeholders, as submitters sought very different outcomes."

The approved plan allowed recreational and commercial hunting of thousands of trophy bulls and other tahr on and off public conservation land, while still moving DoC towards meeting the goals of the statutory Himalayan Tahr Control Plan 1993.

Reddiex said DoC was interested in control, not eradication, and it would continue to leave bull tahr for hunters across 425,000ha of public conservation land outside the national parks.

"There are also 133,000ha of Crown pastoral leases and private land, which is where the vast majority of commercial tahr hunting takes place," he said.

Key elements of the original operational plan remained in place and tahr culling would resume shortly in Aoraki/Mount Cook and Westland Tai Poutini National Parks.

"In the national parks we are legally required to reduce the number of tahr to the lowest practicable densities and it's important we protect and preserve these special areas for New Zealand's native species."

DoC will also spend 145 hours targeting all tahr in the exclusion zones and outside the feral range to stop their spread, Reddiex said.