[John Hoffeins]

The Club has received a letter from the Greater Wellington Regional Council. It is advised a possum and rodent contol operation will be carried out in the East Harbour area from 15 March 2004 to 31 December 2009. From the map supplied East Harbour is the hills behind Lowry Bay, York Bay, Days Bay and Eastbourne. The following poisons will be used for possum control once or twice a year for no longer than a month each time (Start date 26 April 2004)
– Potassium Cyanide encapsulated pellets (Feratox)
– Cholecalciferol cereal pellets (Campaign)
– Cholecalciferol peanut paste (Feracol)
Possum kill traps (Possum Master and Timms) will be used year round.
The following poisons will be used for rodent control year round (Start date -15 th March 2004)
– Diphacinone waxed blocks (Ditrac)
– Bromadiolone waxed blocks (Contrac)
– Pindone pellets.
Children are not allowed in the operational area unsupervised while Feratox is in use.
Potassium cyanide (Feratox) will be used in the more remote parts of the East Harbour Regional Park. Children are not allowed into this area unsupervised while cyanide is in use. Cyanide is a deadly poison and is therefore used very carefully. Feratox pellats are embedded within 20 gram green peanut paste blocks. These blocks are placed inside labelled paper bags, which are stapled to trees at the bait stations sites. Where necessary, they can be placed high up in the trees.

All baits will be dispensed from bait stations or bait bags at bait station sites. Warning signs will be erected advising the public to stay on main walking tracks and roads. Signs will also request dog walkers to keep their dogs on leads at all times and not to let them roam unsupervised or scavenge dead possum carcasses. All of these toxins have a low secondary poisioning risk.

The main safety precautions are:
– Do not handle bait, baitstations, bait bags or traps.
– Do not leave children unattended.
– Do not handle dead possums or rats.
– Stay on main roads and tracks.

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