News
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Guns Claim 95% of Tahrs
Cape Argus (Cape Town)
June 10, 2004 John Yeld
About 95% of the Table Mountain tahrs have been shot dead in the past month, and an SPCA observer says the killings appear to have been humane.
With 109 animals dead and winter closing in, SA National Parks has called off the culling for now.
Earlier this week, SPCA observer Rick Allan accompanied a marksman up Devil's Peak and watched as he shot four tahrs dead, reporting that all four animals were killed humanely with head shots.
One of the objections to the tahr culling by animal lovers is the fear that many would be wounded and left to suffer on the mountain.
Four marksmen - two from the Kruger National Park and one each from the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park and the Greater Addo National Park - have been on the mountain since the middle of last month when SA National Parks announced it was resuming the shooting.
On Tuesday, Allan, manager of the SPCA's national wildlife unit, accompanied a marksman and three field rangers up the mountain.
"The rangers were the look-out guys, watching for hikers, and also to spot the animals," he said.
Before the team went out, Allan watched the marksman demonstrate his skills at a shooting range.
Allan said he had witnessed the shooting of four tahrs in a group of seven animals. "They were all basically head shots, and that's about it," he said. "It appears to be humane, but we will go up again."
In a formal statement later, Allan said: "Our objective is to ensure that the removal of the Himalayan tahr is achieved through humane means. What was observed today satisfied our criteria."
The resumption of the culling followed the dismissal by agreement in April of the Cape High Court interdict application brought against SA National Parks by the Friends of the Tahr group. The tahrs are aliens and SA National Park is legally obliged to remove alien species in terms of national legislation and international conventions.
The Friends group no longer exists, but some animal lovers remain critical of the culling operation.
Before the shooting resumed - after a four-year delay - there were estimated to be between 100 and 150 tahrs on the mountain.
During the operation, SA National Parks declined to say how many tahrs had been shot, citing a death threat to Table Mountain National Park manager Brett Myrdal and abusive messages to his staff as reasons for not giving a "score card".
Chief executive David Mabunda said after Tuesday's exercise: "We are happy the SPCA has had the opportunity to observe this operation, as their sanction will serve to underscore our belief that we are acting in the most humane way possible under the circumstances."
Allan said it had been "very difficult" to find tahrs on the mountain. "It's not that easy, we were on rock ledges and so on."
The animals had not immediately fled after the first shot, although they had been "skittish".
"The tahrs did move but not very far away, and the marksman was very quick - he had dispatched two before they knew what was happening." Allan said his understanding was the culling would be stopped for the wet winter months.
"It is treacherous up there, and they will leave it alone until the weather gets warmer. Basically they will not do any more until the next rutting season."
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Boghossian
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What?! Tahr in RSA? What exactly is the reason for the cull? Not as if they will spread far and wide...
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NitroX
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I believe from this report and others, the tahr are/were on Table Mountain near Cape Town.
I guess they are being shot out as they eat the plants. 
-------------------- John aka NitroX
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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"
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shakari
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They were introduced some years ago and under a new act all Landowners are now legally obliged to eradicate all alien species from their land. This includes alien plants, which is one of the reasons why you can now buy great wood for BBQs in the KNP.
There was a big court case where the bunnyhuggers wanted them to be left alone, but they lost the case and hence the cull went ahead.......
-------------------- Steve "Shakari" Robinson
Kuduland Safaris (Africa) Ltd
info@kuduland.com
www.kuduland.com
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Gibbs505
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Why couldn't a hunting cull be introduced? Isn't the meat edible?
-------------------- So I can't spell, so what?
Those who beat their swords into ploughshares, will plough for those who don't!
Those who fail to learn from history will be doomed to repeat it
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Boghossian
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Maybe that is why I saw an ad for mouflon hunting in...of all places the Limpopo province!! If alien species are so bad, they should eradicate all the introduced lechwe, scimitar-horned oryx, addax, fallow deer and other species that don't even exist in their true habitat! Now from what I understand there are few tahr left in their original range, yet they are being culled elsewhere! I wonder how different the public reaction would have been if they had been tigers or panda, or some other tree hugger 'cause celebre'? I am sure people would be screaming for a trade embargo or something!
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NitroX
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Steve
Does this mean species eg not occurring naturally say in Natal province in game farms but occur say in the Kalahari/Northern areas are to be wiped out too?
Obviously not!
Silly law if it is to be applied arbitarily and without flexibility.
Yes I thought of fallow deer as well.
PS You'd better be careful. If they apply that law literally they will do a Mugabe on you.
-------------------- John aka NitroX
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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"
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shakari
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Hi John,
That's a good question. Some people are saying that is exactly what will happen and some landowners are saying it's my land, I'll have what I want on it.......time will tell what actually happens.
Personally, I would have thought that the various Parks Boards have more than enough on their plate without having to research exactly what species occurred where and what should be removed.
......by the way, have you got your trophies yet?
-------------------- Steve "Shakari" Robinson
Kuduland Safaris (Africa) Ltd
info@kuduland.com
www.kuduland.com
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NitroX
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In reply to:
......by the way, have you got your trophies yet?
Yes, thank you. They finally arrived in Melbourne a week or two ago and are at my taxidermist. Plus the shields and spears et you supplied.
The long saga of getting them here is finally over with not a small bit was due to your helping efforts. So thank you for that.
-------------------- John aka NitroX
...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"
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shakari
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John,
There was supposed to be a copy of our "Handy Little Hunting Book" in the crate......did you find it? If not, please let me know and I'll send you another copy.
-------------------- Steve "Shakari" Robinson
Kuduland Safaris (Africa) Ltd
info@kuduland.com
www.kuduland.com
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NitroX
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I'll check with the taxidermist. He didn't list it in his list of contents.
-------------------- John aka NitroX
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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"
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cchunter
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In reply to:
shields and spears et you supplied
This caught my interest, is it possible to see any pictures and eventually get help to order???? 
I have a shipment leaving about 4 month and another next year.....
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Christer Hansson
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NitroX
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Christer
PM sent.
-------------------- John aka NitroX
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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"
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