Predators targeted before bringing birds in
By local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
Predators of birds must be first tackled before building a Canterbury nature sanctuary, a Methven Lions spokesperson says.
Mac McElwain is leading the Lions' Methven birdsong initiative, which aims to bring back birdsong to the area by turning some vacant council reserve land into a native sanctuary.
“If you plan to establish a habitat you have to protect it.
“The second you start a bird-friendly habitat, the predators will be equally aware of it and be sitting there waiting for lunch to arrive.”
The plan is to first start removing the predators from the equation while they work towards a plan and permission for the reserve in Methven.
“It’s two separate things that have a huge amount of overlap.”
Establishing a trap library will be the project’s first step to help locals trap pests and predators in their backyards.
That plan got a $10,000 boost from the Methven Community Board last week.
The trapping library is estimated to cost $46,850 to purchase or build a range of traps that are then borrowed by locals to begin eradicating pests - including rats, possums, hedgehogs, stoats, weasels, ferrets and feral cats.
Trapping technology has developed considerably in recent years, McElwain said.
Some traps were now able to detect if a micro-chipped domestic cat was inside, and not go off, with feral cats being the target, he said.
Microchipping cats is not mandatory in the Ashburton District, and the council has yet to consider this option.
With the pest control plan underway, the Methven birdsong initiative is seeking the go-ahead for the other aspect of the plan to establish the sanctuary at its preferred location.
Chairperson Kelvin Holmes said the Methven Community Board is supportive of the birdsong initiative and their plans for the reserve but it’s a process.
“We have started the process with the council to go through things like the land use and occupancy,” Holmes said.
The unused council reserve they have their sights set on is a grass paddock with only the historic RDR pipe shed in the middle.
It backs onto the Garden of Harmony which is an area of council reserve already planted as a community space.
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps 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 ❤️
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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61.7% Summer
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36.7% Winter
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1.6% Other - I'll share below
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