AAA calls for a ban on Leg-hold traps
Media release: Auckland Animal Action
Saturday 13th May 2006
AAA calls for a ban on Leg-hold traps
Auckland Animal Action is calling for a nationwide ban on the use of leg-hold traps following the wake of Tahi the North Island brown kiwi receiving a prosthetic leg after being caught in a leg-hold trap earlier this year.
Leg-hold traps are commonly used to trap possums, yet each year in New Zealand these traps catch, injure and maim a huge number of non-target animals including native wildlife such as kiwi and weka as well as domestic animals such as cats and dogs.
Leg-hold traps have been banned in over 89 countries yet traps such as the Lanes-Ace, the Victor No. 1 ½ and the Victor No. 3 are still in use in New Zealand. While the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry admits that leg-hold traps "may cause an animal considerable suffering" the use and regulation of these devices is at the discretion of councils across the country.
Auckland Animal Action spokesperson Rochelle Rees says, "Animals caught in leg-hold traps are often exposed to the elements for long periods of time, are starved and dehydrated and are unable to defend themselves from predators. Trapped animals will go to great lengths to free themselves, even chewing off their own limbs in frantic attempts to escape! If the animal does manage to escape, fractures, infections and the inability to walk and feed themselves adequately will inevitably lead to a slow death."
"We would like to see councils and ultimately Parliament, ban the use of these antiquated torture devices. Non-target animals caught in leg-hold traps suffer from pain and distress but so do the possums that are caught in them. Why should any species be subjected to unreasonable pain and distress simply because of its status as a so-called "pest"?
"We are calling for New Zealand to follow the lead of overseas nations, such as those of the European Union, in banning the use of all leg-hold traps. We are sick of seeing our kiwis, our cats and dogs and our possums suffering as a result of our country's lack of progression on this issue," says Ms Rees.
For more information, contact AAA spokesperson Rochelle Rees on 027-362-6186 or email rochelle@aucklandanimalaction.org.nz.
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http://www.aucklandanimalaction.org.nz
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Re: AAA calls for a ban on Leg-hold traps
Weta stumps up to help Tahi the kiwi
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/search/story.cfm?storyid=000EE7BC-D6A6-1461-92...
11.05.06
By Anne Beston
A one-legged kiwi has been given movie star treatment in the hope his false leg will allow him to lead a more normal life.
In the first project of its type, Tahi the kiwi has been given a prosthetic leg with help from movie special effects studio Weta Workshop, Wellington's Artificial Limb Centre and Wellington Zoo.
The zoo hopes the new leg, which Tahi tried out for the longest stretch so far yesterday - half an hour - will encourage the male kiwi to overlook his deformity.
"A one-legged kiwi would not be able to mate successfully so we decided to try to give him a future instead of leaving him forgotten in a corner somewhere," said zoo chief executive Mauritz Basson.
Tahi is a North Island brown kiwi, largest of the kiwi sub-species groups, and is thought to be a young adult. He had his leg removed by Massey University veterinarians after he was caught in a gin trap in the wild.
He was sent to Wellington Zoo where staff worked with Weta, famed for its special effects in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong, and the limb agency to see if a false leg would work for the the bird.
Tahi was anaesthetised while Weta art director Gina Acevedo made an exact copy of his stump, using the same techniques as she would for a false nose or mask on an actor. The mould was made using the same material orthodontists use to make exact copies of teeth.
That mould was then used by Artificial Limb Centre's Peter Allen to make the artificial limb but that required careful study of videos of the kiwi's gait.
"There are no prosthetic components that make joints this small so I scrounged around for little bits and pieces of metals, pins, bits of tube and recreated the joint," Mr Allen told the BBC.
Tahi was making good progress with the leg, which he seemed to simply ignore, said zoo chief executive Mauritz Basson.
"He walked around poking for worms with his beak but the chances of releasing him back into the wild are zero," he said.
It is hoped Tahi will be on public display one day, and that his story will be used to highlight the dangers of gin traps and other threats kiwi face in the wild.
"If the leg is a success we will have an important education tool," Mr Basson said.
Re: AAA calls for a ban on Leg-hold traps
Gin traps menace for kiwis
17 February 2006
By LEE MATTHEWS
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3575633a7693,00.html
Selley's Knead-It putty has been an essential surgical supply for helping heal a gin-trapped, broken-legged North Island brown kiwi.
A rare North Island brown kiwi whose left leg was smashed in a gin trap has needed eight operations costing more than $10,000 to put it right.
Massey University wildlife vet Brett Gartrell said the male kiwi, from near Whangarei, was found six months ago in a bad way.
"Fractures in the leg, infection in the bone . . . it couldn't walk or feed itself," he said.
It was sent to the wildlife ward at Massey's verterinary hospital. Shell sponsors most of the ward's costs.
Dr Gartrell began a series of operations to fix the breaks and get rid of the infections in the bone. The bird required multiple bone grafts and long-term antibiotic treatment.
It is now starting to take weight on the injured leg, which is supported with pins and a light metal bar.
This exterior "fixator" has been padded with Selley's Knead-It putty. Dr Gartrell said this is ideal for avian injuries, as the bone cement compounds usually used would make the brace too heavy for the kiwi to manage.
The kiwi, about three months old when it was brought in, should be ready for release to the wild in about a month.
North Island brown kiwi are rare. Only about 20,000 remain in the wild. In areas infested with stoats, 80 percent of kiwi chicks are killed before they get big enough to resist attack. Kiwi numbers are only just holding steady in non-stoat and ferret-infested areas.
Dr Gartrell said he treats five or six gin-trapped kiwi each year, but there are many who never make it to treatment.
Gin traps are used to cull possums, which decimate native bush and bird habitats.
AdvertisementAdvertisementDr Gartrell said it is important to get rid of possums, but anyone using gin traps in kiwi areas should set them up off the ground, well away from where a foraging kiwi might scratch in leaf litter.
Hunters who find kiwi trapped in gin traps should take them to the nearest Department of Conservation to be checked for injuries. Just releasing them usually condemns the birds to a painful death from infection and starvation.
"Box traps are a better alternative to gin traps. They catch possums but not wildlife."
The unit is also now healing a second gin-trapped kiwi, but that bird was older when caught and the injuries are not so severe.
"No broken bones, but the muscles were crushed," Dr Gartrell said.
Re: AAA calls for a ban on Leg-hold traps
New Zealand has and estimated 70 million introduced brush tail possums, enough to circle the world nose to tail. We have lost more bird species than any other nation and have more bird species at risk as a percentage of what remains than any other nation. 11% of all endangered animal are in New Zealand. possums eat the food, the nesting trees and have been filmed eating baby birds and eggs alive of our endemic species that took millions of years to evolve. Also the trees that insects and lizards rely on. They also spread TB. How much does 70 million possums eat each night. Kill them any way you can.