Advocates fear for bird safety on Crate Day
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
Braided river bird advocates are fearing for the safety of nesting sites on the Ashley River ahead of Crate Day this Saturday.
The Ashley Rakahuri Rivercare Group has taken to social media to raise its concerns, with four-wheel-drives expected to be out in force on the river bed.
Crate Day is an ‘‘unofficial holiday’’ held on the first Saturday in December and last year it is thought between 150 and 200 4WDs were on the Ashley River bed.
Committee member Judith Hughey says birds, chicks and nests are not easily seen.
‘‘Last year I was observing at the entry point at the Okuku bridge and on the river just to see what happens. I was shocked by the number of vehicles, possibly 150 or more.’’
Last year Ashley Rakahuri Rivercare Group volunteers, Department of Conservation (DOC) staff and Environment Canterbury park rangers were out in force to monitor the 4WDs, but were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers, she said.
She said most participants ‘‘did not seem to be malicious’’, but were unaware of the damage they could have caused.
‘‘At least one driver went out of his/her way to destroy signs advising of nesting birds.
‘‘A vehicle came within centimetres of one nest, but no nests were found to have been destroyed.
‘‘At least two nests contained small chicks, which would have been unable to move away from a vehicle.’’
Four-wheel-drive enthusiasts responded on Facebook, saying they were aware of the nest locations and ‘‘do their best to avoid them’’.
Drivers said they had ‘‘legal rights as tax payers to legally drive down a river’’ and suggested DOC should ‘‘put more effort into identifying and fencing off the nesting areas’’.
■ Public interest journalism funded through New Zealand on Air.
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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62.8% Summer
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35.8% Winter
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1.4% Other - I'll share below
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
What word sums up 2024, neighbours?
If 2020 was the year of lockdowns, banana bread, and WFH (work from home)....
In one word, how would you define 2024?
We're excited to see what you come up with!
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