Goats
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The
Judas goat is put into the cage for
transport to the drop-off site
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The
dropoff site is located on a map for the
pilot
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The
cage is attached to the helicopter by
rope
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The
helicopter carefully lifts the cage off
the ground
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The
helicopter heads away to the dropoff point
at the north of the island
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Great
Barrier Island is free of the devastating pests that infest
most of the mainland. There are no possums, stoats, ferrets,
weasels hedgehogs, or deer. Feral goats, cats
and pigs are the main pests on the island.
Recent
efforts to capture the goats have been made through the use
of Judas goats. DoC staff have captured live feral goats and
put transmitters on them. These goats are then released and
the DoC rangers are able to track the goats. As they move
through the bush they will try to become part of a group.
These goats lead the rangers to other goats so they can be
eradicated.
The
goat project is all but finished for this year. Nigel one of
the DoC rangers on the island reported that they haven't
found any wild goats with their Judas goats. This means that
this year's contract blocks are 100 % goat free.
The
DoC programme of eradication is to work on a rolling front
of eradication from north to south. Hopefully in another
three years there will be no feral goats on Great Barrier
Island.
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