Jail for mass killing of endangered birds

An Ashburton man who drove into a colony of nearly 10,000 endangered birds, squashing nests and eggs, has been sentenced to prison. 

The colony of endangered black-billed gulls, one of the most endangered gull species in the world, had been nesting at the Ashburton River.

Samuel John Townhill pleaded guilty in the Ashburton District Court today to charges of destroying nests and disturbing a protected species when he drove into the colony on the Ashburton riverbed in November last year.

Disturbing protected birds and destroying nests are offences under the Wildlife Act that can result in imprisonment or a fine of $100,000.

Judge Maze sentenced Townhill, who is currently imprisoned on other matters, to one month's jail cumulative on his current sentence.

Department of Conservation Raukapuke Area Office manager George Hadler said the "unnecessary mindless act" incident was likely to have a significant impact on the gull colony, which made up 11 per cent of the total black-billed gull population that year.

''Not only were eggs destroyed but the disturbance of adult birds would probably have caused other nests to fail.''

Hadler said killing and disturbing black-billed gulls was a real threat to the species.

In 2007 more than 100 adult birds were killed by vandals at the same site on the Ashburton riverbed, while in December last year about 50 chicks were killed in an incident on the Ashley River north of Christchurch.

Black-billed gulls are found only in New Zealand and are classified as 'nationally endangered' due to concern about their rate of decline and risk of extinction.

Most of the population breeds on South Island riverbeds.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/8638689/Jail-for-mass-killing-of-endangered-birds