"1080 is In Our Soil and in Our Blood" - by William George Paul & willipaul.studio

Rachel Carson's charred, toxic soul is smoking once again in the forests and creeks of New Zealand. Her bad dream is now fueled in 2018 by a pest killing chemical called 1080. The Government of New Zealand is killing children - our unoriginal sin?

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What is 1080?

"1080 is the brand name given to the synthetic version of sodium fluoroacetate - a toxic, odorless, white powder compound, which naturally occurs in plants, acting as a powerful defense. However the synthetic version, 1080, is far more potent and kills. New Zealand is the largest buyer of 1080 in the world, using over 80 per cent of the chemical produced.

1080 is distributed in laced bait via ground and aerial application by the Department of Conservation (DoC) and the Animal Health Board (AHB). It is mainly used to kill possums, however other 'pests', including feral cats, rabbits, rats and stoats, are also targeted. 1080 is banned in several countries, including Brazil, Belize, Cuba, Laos, Slovenia and Thailand, as well as in some states of the United States where aerial distribution and its use on all mammals but coyotes is prohibited.

Cruel effects of 1080

Death from 1080 is cruel and protracted. Animals receiving a lethal dose of 1080 show severe signs of poisoning, with death resulting from heart or respiratory failure. Clinical signs of poisoning include rapid and labored breathing, tremors and muscle spasms, terminal convulsions and death. It usually takes possums between 6-18 hours to die. A witness to a possum poisoning commented:

"From about four hours after poisoning until death all lethally dosed possums exhibited spasms involving the limbs or body. Possums vocalized during spasms, tremors or seizures.

Vocalization was loud and prolonged. (Squeaking, gasping and gagging noises were also frequently heard during retching and terminal breathing.) Seizures included stiffening of limbs with hunching of the shoulders; jerks in limbs, head, abdomen or shoulder; leg paddling; rolling onto the back with a stiffened body; continuous body rolling; trembling; and rigidity of the entire body. Possums were sometimes propelled into the air by these movements..."

1080 is not a humane way to kill any animal. Death is painful, torturous and slow."

Source: https://www.safe.org.nz/about-1080-poison

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The funeral march on the streets of Wellington just days ago was attended by pissed-off citizens aiming up slogan's like these:

"Fuck 1080"

"Resistance becomes our duty"

"Don't be cruel"

Behold this one piece of press from the rally:

"Thousands of anti-1080 protesters marched across the country on Saturday imploring the Government to stop allowing the controversial poison to be used. Protesters carrying signs reading "Ban 1080" and "It kills everything" gathered at 40 sites from the top of the north to the bottom of the South Island.

Outside Parliament, hundreds stood and chanted with some wearing skull and crossbones capes, chemical hazard suits and masks while others dressed in black with white crosses to symbolise the loss of the wildlife they say was killed by the poison.

One South Island group met the Wellington party at the ferry terminal then walked to Parliament at 10 am as part of the nationwide Operation Ban 1080, a social media promoted demonstration against the pesticide. Other marches were held in Blenheim, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton, Kaikoura, Napier, Queenstown and Taupo as well as in smaller centres.

DoC, Federated Farmers and Forest and Bird all support the use of 1080 but environmental groups nationwide have been outspoken in calling for it to be banned claiming it kills native animals and birds. Supporters say predator pest numbers are so high that without serious action some native forests would be seriously damaged.

The West Coast has been one of the main hot spot for the issue, where aerial 1080 drops covered 230,000 hectares of the region in late 2016. A group met outside the Greymouth District Council to protest its use. Further north, cars honked at protesters in Stratford, in Taranaki.

Organiser Kevin Moratti said he had been fighting against the poison for years.

"If 1080 inadvertently got in our water catchment off the mountain - by inadvertently I mean a bucket being dropped or something - New Plymouth would be without water for three months. This is the toxicity of this stuff.

"It's got to stop."

Source: https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/106933934/protesters-make-a-nationwide-stand-against-1080

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