Motutapu Island placed under rāhui over prolonged stoat invasion
A rāhui has been placed over Auckland’s Motutapu Island while authorities work to capture two elusive stoats.
The rāhui (ban) means access to the island in the Hauraki Gulf will be restricted and the campground closed for the next 30 days while the Department of Conservation (DOC) and the iwi Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki works to trap the stoats.
Ferry services to Rangitoto Island are unaffected by the rāhui.
Motutapu Island has now had four stoat outbreaks in one year. Stoats pose a significant risk to threatened native birds and lizards.
“We are asking people to take note of iwi rāhui and not to visit Motutapu while our first priority is catching the remaining stoats,” DOC incursion response advisor Claire Warren said.
Click 'read more' for our full report (video first published in July 2020).
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!
⚠️ 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 ❤️