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Punakaiki, West Coast, New Zealand : Official Tourism Website

Keeping dogs safe in Predator Free South Westland

We’re maintaining South Westland as predator-free

Predator elimination is underway across the entire project area, and we’re now working to maintain the site as predator-free by responding quickly to incursions. When rats are detected, small-scale aerial responses are one of the tools we might deploy within a targeted area to quickly remove the rats before they spread.

The exact locations and date of toxic bait application are available on the DOC Pesticides Summary page from the day the toxin is laid, along with advice on hunting restrictions around the operation.

Keeping dogs safe

When toxins are being used for predator elimination in the area, you are advised:

  1. Do not touch any baits or carcasses. Toxic baits and carcasses can pose a significant risk to human health. Keep children under strict supervision, to ensure that they do not touch or consume baits.
  2. Keep dogs under control at all times. Dogs are particularly susceptible to 1080 baits and poisoned carcasses. 
  3. Do not consume meat taken from wild animals within or adjacent to the block, until the caution period has expired.

The length of caution periods can vary. Bait quickly becomes non-toxic following significant rainfall (200mm). However, carcasses remain a risk for several months, until carcasses have broken down. The Pesticide Summary is updated when a caution period ends. If you are unsure about the caution period for a particular area, please get in touch with us.

Warning signs will be placed at public access points to inform you where the toxins have been used and to indicate that pesticide residues may still be present in bait or carcasses. Please follow instructions on the signs.

We provide a range of safety measures to support dog-owners in keeping their dogs safe through predator elimination work, including muzzles, muzzle training, emetic pills, and clear signage in public access areas. Please get in touch if you’d like to discuss any of these options with us: info@pfsw.org.nz

Sign up to receive notifications

Using the form below, you can sign up to receive notifications of treatments in areas relevant to you and your dog.

This notification system is an additional tool to support dog owners in keeping their dogs safe around recently treated areas. It is not designed to enforce dog access restrictions. We encourage all dog owners to be aware of their broader responsibilities, which you can review here: https://www.westlanddc.govt.nz/dogs-and-animal-control/responsible-dog-ownership/

Permit holders for areas where dogs are typically restricted remain responsible for checking the Pesticide Summary to identify areas of potential risk. We collaborate with the Department of Conservation (DOC) throughout operations to ensure these summaries remain current.