Residents urge caution about poisoned wheat
A couple (who prefer not to be named) residing in Ligar Bay were recently shocked when they found their garden littered with small bird corpses after one of their neighbours used poisoned wheat for bird control.
They have expressed their concerns that the product can be easily purchased off the shelf, and say there is a need to draw attention to the fact that it is toxic and needs to be applied with care.
"The birds were dropping like flies, mainly small birds like sparrows and yellowhammers and finches. How can they sell a product to deter birds which says on the packet that it is a narcotic, but which actually kills the birds if they eat too much of it, and how can you tell a bird not to eat too much of it?"
Animal Control Product sales and marketing executive Bill Simmons said the product contained 2.5 percent alpha chloralose, and confirmed the product was a narcotic that put the birds to sleep but which could kill them if they consumed too much of it. Mr Simmons could not rule out potential harm to cats or dogs if they digested any poisoned birds, and likened the risk to laying rat bait.
A poison licence is not required for the use of alpha chloralose baits with concentrations below 2.5%.
"It takes quite a lot to kill a mammal, and the best thing to do is to talk to neighbours before applying poisoned wheat," Mr Simmons said.
Last year, an incident at Auckland's Western Springs Park raised public concerns about the availability of the bait. Over 80 birds, including ducks, geese, swans and pukekos, were poisoned by the toxin, which was thought to have been deliberately dropped after a four-kilogram box of wheat pellets treated with alpha chloralose was found at the park. The birds suffered blot clots and seizures and around 40 of them died.
SPCA spokesperson Bob Kerridge asked at the time to have the poison taken off the shelves and that it only be used under commercial circumstances in controlled hands. So far, the Environmental Risk Management Authority has no intention to ban the over-the-counter product.
The poisoned wheat only affects birds feeding on grain, which are predominantly introduced birds. The intentional poisoning of native birds would be an offence, said biodiversity manager Hans Stoffregen, as all native birds are protected. "Anybody using poisons should be aware of the effects and be using them with caution and stick to the material safety data sheets included in the packet."
Ina Holst
