Tahr still not being culled from conservation land

Forest & Bird is alarmed that some conservation land where Tahr numbers need to be reduced is excluded from this year's control operations plan. There's been a lot of disagreement on how best to manage the growing population of the hardy, goat-like animals. The Department of Conservation yesterday released a revised report on the control of Himalayan Tahr this season. The animals thrive in high country and remote South Island locations, and graze on fragile native plants. The report has pleased hunters, who say it opens up decent tahr hunting opportunities in accessible locations. Forest & Bird's regional conservation manager for Canterbury and the West Coast, Nicky Snoyink told our reporter Tracy Neal that while it's a reasonable short-term solution, they're worried that the hunters alone won't be enough to control the spread of tahr.