Third order of business is this grim, sad story from the vicious antipossumite antipodeans in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: Possum kill budget may double

Hawke's Bay Regional Council may have to pour another $2.5 million, almost doubling the budget, in to its possum eradication programme next year because of a rapid increase in infected beef herds.

Agriquality veterinarian Garth Pannett of Masterton, said the outbreak was building up to being the worst in 10 years and of the 30 new infected herds since May 2001, 24 were to have been infected by a Tb vector, possum.

There are clusters of affected properties in the Puketitiri-Waitara Valley area, Kereru, a small cluster on the Napier-Taihape Road and several properties in both Matahorua and Esk Valley.

The properties generally tended to be along the ranges or in the foothills.

Mr Pannett said the cause of the outbreak was unexplained. In some cases infected infected stock had been born and bred on the properties and the only explanation was that the outbreaks were linked to feral vectors like possums. [...]

Isn't this always the way it is...poor pretty cows get sick, so who do we blame? POSSUMS! Look, just because possums carry tuberculosis doesn't mean that these oppressed marsupials are to blame--maybe it was the COWS who did it themselves, just so they could blame it on the picked-on "invasive species"! Ever think of that?! Or maybe there's not really any link at all, and it's just another in a long line of specieist attempts to wipe out an entire culture! And if they really are sick, maybe the cows should look at some of the root causes, like standing out in the rain, and pooping on the grass they eat. And what are they complaining about in the first place--they're goners ANYWAY!

(2.5 mill?! That sure would buy an awful lot of shotgun shells. Or just run over them, it's free.)

UPDATE: I am such a dimwit. I forgot to mention that this story was kindly sent to me by way of Mac "All Snakeheads, All the Time" Thomason over at WarLiberal. Sorry Mac!
posted by Terry at 10:19:00 AM