A Department of Conservation (DOC) promotional video showing a woman sitting on her front porch shooting a possum from a tree has been taken down in response to a complaint.<\/p>\n
The video titled ‘Marjorie’s helping. Are you?’ is part of DOC’s Always Be Naturing campaign and focuses on pest control.<\/p>\n
The agency confirmed it had “paused” the video in response to questions.<\/p>\n
The video showed a woman in a fur hat with a rifle on her lap sipping tea then shooting a possum from a pohutukawa tree – the possum falls to the ground.<\/p>\n
Deer Stalkers Association national president Callum Sheridan said it raised concerns with DOC about the video on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
“The concern is it violates DOC’s own permit conditions and it also violates firearm safety and the arms code,” he said.<\/p>\n
“If it was us, we probably would have got dragged across the coals for it so we made sure that we communicated that with DOC.”<\/p>\n
Sheridan said anyone killing possums on conservation land had to apply for trapping permits, “you don’t just shoot them out of trees”.<\/p>\n
He said the rifle depicted was more powerful than needed and there was no safety backdrop.<\/p>\n
“When you pull the trigger, you’re responsible for where that bullet lands, and in that scenario that bullet could have landed anywhere,” Sheridan said.<\/p>\n
“It could have been a hunter or a tramper, or anybody walking a great walk over the hill. There was no clear backstop to where that bullet was going to land.”<\/p>\n
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He said it sent the wrong message about gun use.<\/p>\n
“They did a good job in terms of a video. It was the messaging that wasn’t correct.”<\/p>\n
DOC’s deputy director general public affairs Sia Aston said the videos created for the campaign were positive, quirky and used humour to engage with people.<\/p>\n
“We understand there have been a couple of questions, so we have paused the video while we chat those through,” Aston said.<\/p>\n
“We’re clearly having a bit of fun with the campaign and the only thing people should take seriously is the message that nature is under threat from pests and other pressures.”<\/p>\n
Aston said the overwhelming reaction to the campain had been positive.<\/p>\n
She said DOC had launched the Always be Naturing campaign to focus attention on nature, the pressure that nature was under and what people could do to help.<\/p>\n