The campaign to stop the Department of Conservation exterminating tahr in national parks is gathering increasing public support, with nearly 40,000 people signing the petition calling for a halt to DOC’s plans.

The Change.org petition was started on Monday evening, shortly after revelations the Department of Conservation was planning a mass killing of thousands of tahr through the Southern Alps, including all animals in national parks.

The petition asks DOC “to halt the 2020-21 tahr cull and review the Himalayan Tahr Control Plan.”

The public is also contributing significantly to the Give A Little campaign to raise funds to fight the DOC plan, with nearly $70,000 raised so far.

Tahr Foundation spokesperson Willie Duley says the response is gratifying.

“Gathering 40,000 signatures in less than a week is terrific – the number of people signing just keeps growing and shows the very real opposition out there to DOC’s plans,” he says.

“Tourism operators are also opposing the mass kill because they stand to lose significant income just when they need it most because of the Covid crisis.

“More than 500 jobs and the futures of 160 businesses are on the line because of DOC’s short-sighted plan, and those operators need government help to save those jobs.”

Willie Duley says donations are also flooding in to the Give A Little page set up to help fund the Tahr Foundation’s legal battle to protect tahr, with nearly $70,000 raised so far.

The High Court will this week hear a Tahr Foundation application for an interim injunction to stop DOC’s mass tahr kill.

The application will be heard on Wednesday in the High Court in Wellington.

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