TAKAHE - NO DOGS ALLOWED
Jul 4, 2025
Probably most of you looking at this will already know that there are now Takahē in the Rees Valley and they cover quite a large area, from the head of the valley where they are often seen around Shelter Rock Hut right down as far as the Invincible Creek currently (not to mention Frost the golf course explorer).
We’d like to remind everyone heading up the valley that dogs are not permitted in the National Park at all or on private land without permission – given that the entire upper valley is either sheep & beef farm or national park it is really not a destination that your hound should be heading to even without the endangered bird factor.
The working dogs who are resident have all had the Takahē Aversion Training from DoC, just like the Greenstone dogs have for the other local release site.
Aside from the potential for your dog to meet a pack of resident working dogs who tend (with some justification) to regard their workplace as their territory, and the obvious twitchiness we sheep farmers tend to have around dogs amongst domestic stock (even the most placid dog can be inspired to chase things that run away from them), random dogs on sheep farms also have the potential to spread sheep measles.
Farm dogs are all on a regular treatment schedule for the parasites that cause sheep measles because it has an economic impact on the farm – it causes lesions in the meat that mean the carcass is downgraded during processing. Untreated dogs from off the property are potential spreaders of the parasite, which uses both sheep and dogs in its life cycle. More info on this can be found at sheepmeasles.co.nz
If you are heading up the Rees please leave your dog at home
Related documents:
- Takahe No Dogs (PDF, 131.89 KB)
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