Friday, May 20, 2016
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THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF MID CANTERBURY
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Conservationist Russell Langdon is gutted his protected weka have disappeared and he suspects poachers have been at work. PHOTO AMANDA KONYN 190516-AK-015
Weka theft ‘gutting’ BY LINDA CLARKE
LINDA.C@THEGUARDIAN.CO.NZ
INSIDE
Thieves who stole some 30 protected weka from the Riverbridge Conservation Area risk a $100,000 fine and up to two years in jail. Though the punishment would be worse if Russell Langdon were handing it out. The Mid Canterbury farmer has spent 16 years developing 20 acres of land near the Ashburton River into an eco-sanctuary where endangered and protected birds, fish and plants can breed or grow. He has created a living museum of life on the Canterbury Plains 100 years ago. His buff weka population had grown from just a couple of birds several years ago to around 30 – until this week. Buff weka have been extinct on the Plains since the 1920s.
He brought his regular treat for the cheeky birds – bread, pellets and a couple of Sim’s pies – last Sunday morning, but they were noshows. A bit of detective work revealed tyre tracks around the perimeter of the conservation area and not a weka to be found. He waited until yesterday before calling the police, in case the flightless birds resurfaced. He says the evidence pointed to a trespasser, with a dog, hunting the weka on his private land. He believes just one bird was lucky enough to survive the raid.
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