Kereru killers charged

The kereru is a lovely gentle large native bird which is often seen basking on native berry trees.

Last January five gung-ho idiots from Norway toting rifles decided to shoot some, and being idiots decide to film themselves committing these crimes. They then decided to show the world their character by posting these videos on YouTube. But within a few days their gruesome crime videos of the bloody birds had attracted over 400 scathing comments.

The kereru is an absolutely protected species under the Wildlife Act and the Department of Conservation was outraged. The maximum penalty for killing such protected wildlife is a $100,000 fine and up to a year in jail.

The video also showed the tourists shooting a paradise shelduck with a rifle. Paradise ducks can only legally be hunted with licence and a shotgun during the shooting season starting in May. Illegal hunting can bring a fine of up to $5,000.

The Norwegian penal code is even harsher. It provides for up to six years jail for people convicted of having wilfully or through gross negligence reduced a natural population of protected wildlife, in Norway or overseas.

Let this be a lesson to all thug idiots out there.