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Retorts

1080 vs Hunting

Your article "Death In The Forests" (test issue) stated "with over 70 million possums in the bush, trapping no longer offers an effective form of control".

I disagree. If one dollar was paid for every possum tail brought in, it is guaranteed that one possum is killed. This is direct feedback on numbers killed, unlike 1080 drops whose effectiveness can only be guessed at.

Hunting of possums would provide valuable employment throughout the whole country and it also avoids another toxin being added to our environment.

Some may argue that road-killed possum tails will be collected and cashed-in. I have no problems with this as these possums will not be eating our native vegetation nor breeding.

Peter McIntosh, Auckland

It's going to take quite a number of hunters to keep the possum population under control, even with bounties on offer. In our next issue, we'll be taking a closer look at the various resource management strategies available, including 1080 and hunting. -- Editor