1886: Release the Ferret!
September 18, 2019
By AHNZ
18 September, 1886: The Department of Internal Affairs and Colonial Secretary granted permission for between 500 and 800 ferrets to be released into Southland.
Without The State, who would protect the natural environment from introduced invasive predators?
“Shown here is a letter from Angus MacDonald of Gore seeking to liberate the ferrets onto crown land in the Southland region. He was given permission to release between 500 and 800 ferrets by the Colonial Secretary in Wellington. He also provided a list of the approved breeders who were selling ferrets for between 9 and 10 shillings a head.”- Archives NZ
“Despite protests by bird experts, ferrets, stoats and weasels were released throughout pastoral areas.”- doc.govt.nz
New Zealand’s booming 1080 industry today owes its existence to State intervention in our history. Other Government disasters included the rabbit plague and, of course, the possum.
These 1886 ferrets were not only released on State land with State permission with state-approved ferrets. The ferrets were released by the State in the person of Angus Alphonso Macdonald, Inspector, and Justice of the Peace, as part of his efforts to undo that other State pest: Rabbits!
The ferrets in New Zealand are ferret-polecat hybrids. Tame ferrets were bred with polecats during the voyage to New Zealand so that they would be better at surviving in the wild. Unfortunately it worked! Now New Zealand has the world’s largest population of wild ferret-polecat hybrids!
The first 5 ferrets were brought to New Zealand in 1879 to get rid of rabbits.- Predator Free NZ
Don’t let them tell you the Government is our friend. Big Brother is not saving us from our own ineptitude and making it possible to tie our own shoelaces. The State is the enemy, time and time again.
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Ref. High class ferrets; Archives NZ; Flickr
Image ref. Predator Free NZ
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