25/07/2017
[FYI request #6268 email]
Dear Andy
Thank you for your Official Information Act request to the Department of
Conservation, dated 24/07/2017. You requested the following:
pig kill records for the
annual Auckland island pig-hunting programme for the last 5 years and the current
best estimate number of pigs remaining on the Island.
Your questions and our responses are listed below:
1. Provide pig kill records for the annual Auckland island pig-hunting
programme for the last 5 years.
There has been no annual Auckland Island pig-hunting programme or any
pig-hunting programme in the last 5 years, so there have been no recorded
kills.
2. Provide current best estimate number of pigs remaining on the Island.
It is not known what the exact density of pigs are remaining on the island,
however there has been various population estimates. Colin Clarke (
pers
comm) in 1996 estimated no more than 1500-2000 pigs and Saunders
(Saunders & Kay 1991, Saunders 1993) estimated between 860-1080 pigs. The
current Southland Murihiku Conservation Management Strategy gives a
figure of 1000.
Determining a population estimate will fall within the scope of the planning
for any eradication attempt.
Yours sincerely,
Harry Maher
Director Operations (Acting)
Southern South Island
Department of Conservation