Clyde Graf: Outdoor & Wildlife Film Maker

February 3, 2012 by Gail
Filed under 5 KURIOUS Kiwi Questions

Clyde Graf is one half of the Graf Brothers who are committed to highlighting the dangers and destruction caused by aerial 1080 poisoning ops here in New Zealand. He is a lifelong environmentalist who grew up living in the New Zealand bush. The brothers make documentaries because they love New Zealand wildlife and the outdoors.

ABOUT Clyde Graf

clyde_graf “Their father was a venison hunter based in the Te Urewera National Park. For the past 13 years, Clyde and his brother Steve have been Outdoor and Wildlife film makers.

Their film work has included DVD projects for the New Zealand Police and New Zealand Mountain Safety Council and since 2006 they have been focused on documentary work.

Their battle against 1080 poison has led them to produce the DVDs, ‘A Shadow of Doubt’ and ‘Poisoning Paradise’. In 2010, ‘Poisoning Paradise’ won Best Film in the Environmental & Ecology, International category at the Heart of England Film Festival. It was also nominated for the prestigious UK, Swansea Bay Film Festival. More recently ‘Poisoning Paradise’ won the ‘Conservation Advocacy Award’ at the Japan Wildlife Film Festival.”

5 KURIOUS KIWI QUESTIONS

Do you have interesting friends? I do. I’m a kurious kiwi, so in this LifeStyle section I ask them 5 Questions. Their responses are sometimes startling yet always thought evoking. I ask each of them a common question relating to a Cause they believe in and why it matters to them. Read on to share in their take on what they think really does matter.

Who’s your eco-hero? What qualities of theirs are worth emulating?

Rachel Carson, author of ‘Silent Spring’. Bravery, resilience, humility and truth-seeking.

Name three NZ wildlife that kiwi kids ought to know and care about

brown_kiwi Now this sounds obvious, but these little critters are among the most interesting, interactive, and believe it or not, not that difficult to see in the wild if you know what you’re doing — I’m talking about the Kiwi.

Although there are a couple of endangered species of Kiwi, the one we see most often on tv, the Brown Kiwi, is in fact, plentiful in certain parts of the country. The Department of Conservation (DoC) estimate that there are over 60,000 of them in the wild.

Despite what you may have been told, the Kiwi is bold, aggressive (even violently so), and most certainly, tough. Their thick legs are capable of throwing an opposing bird several feet into the air, and they will often deliberately crash into each other in territorial fights or during mating seasons. They are a lot of fun to be around, if you know how to attract them, and we do.

In fact, on our new tv series ‘Wild Weekend Adventures’ we visit Stewart Island and have lots of close, daylight encounters with the fluffy little guys, and we even have a male bird come in close and screech out his high-pitched call right in front of our cameras. Awesome stuff!

kea Another favourite is the Kea. They are like naughty, mischievous, cheeky little boys, and I don’t mind admitting, I’d like to scrag them (a kiwi term meaning to affectionately wring their neck) after they get into my gear in the high country. They are noisy, nosy and niggling, yet friendly and trusting too. From what I’m told, the Kea is the most intelligent bird in the world.

Some years back this bird had a bounty on its head, placed on it because of the impact they could have on farming. The birds would peck the eyes out of lambs, and even harass full grown sheep, I’m told. However, the kea is now critically endangered, and with some estimates of below 1000 birds left in existence, a real candidate for extinction.

Given the amount of poison that is dropped across Kea habitat, and the large percentages of birds that have been found dead after these poisoning operations, it’s demise is probably inevitable, and imminent. Unfortunately, the DoC and Animal Health Board (AHB) are increasing the range of their poisoning operations, with willful blindness, in my opinion.

“Two men who live there and love every single life that supports the place are screaming from the bottom of their hearts. We have no choice but to face this film honestly. We, human beings now must pay respects to precious lives other than humans! Otherwise, we will also become extinct. The detailed facts that are documented in this film will touch our hearts heavily over and over. — Juries Comments, Japan Wildlife Film Festival”

We are probably standing back and watching one of the most magnificent parrots — the only carrion (dead meat and flesh) eating parrot in the world, disappear forever. (Yes, kea loves to eat the attractive poisoned laced food dropped from helicopters, but they also love to eat the dead, poisoned possums and deer carcasses that are left to decompose across the landscapes after poisoning operations)

deer

Another wonderful species is deer. Deer are graceful, careful and surefooted, and in low numbers, a great asset to our forests.

Unfortunately, the public are informed that deer are a destructive menace, which isn’t true. In fact, deer have simply filled a browsing void left by the magnificent Moa.

Tell us about a Cause you believe in. What motivates you to keep its importance in front of people?

Poisoning Paradise

My brother Steve and I have spent the last 5 years, practically full time, highlighting the dangers and destructiveness of aerial 1080 poisoning operations. We’ve completed two documentaries, the first ‘A Shadow of Doubt’, and the second, the hard hitting, three-time International Award winning, ‘Poisoning Parardise’.

We have had help from some terrific kiwis, who include farmers, possum hunters, doctors and scientists. Experts in their fields. Every year, New Zealand drops enough poisonous food into its forests to kill over 20 million people. That poison ends up somewhere, and it often terminates unintended targets, namely, native wildlife.

1080 poison is not only a pesticide, it’s also a broad spectrum insecticide so it not only kills mammals and birds, but insects too. Entomologist, Mike Meads, found in one of his studies that the dust generated in poisoning operations could kill insects weeks after the poison was dropped. Invertebrates (insects) are important, they are the backbone of the ecosystem. They break down leaf litter, supplying nutrients to forest trees, but are also the food source of many of our most precious wildlife species, namely, birds.

Secondary Poisoning

1080 also causes secondary poisoning, so it not only kills the consumer of the poison, but also whatever feeds on the original victim. This is how pet dogs are poisoned. Hundreds of them, contrary to what the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (PCE) report stated. What the scientists that we work with have found, is that, the quality of the research that supports 1080 is extremely poor, and in many cases, the bird species researched are the ones least likely to show harm, and yet harm is still realised.

“1080 poison is not only killing our native wildlife, untargeted species, and pests, but it is killing them in a cruel way. It is illegal to poison deer in New Zealand, yet scientists estimate that over 20,000 deer are poisoned every year by 1080. From what we’ve filmed and photographed, we’d estimate the figure to be higher. The poisoners get away with it by stating that they are not targeting deer.”

There is no control over how much poison each animal gets. Some receive lethal doses, other sub-lethal doses. An animal takes from several hours, to several days to die from the effects of poisoning, and the effects are horrifying. Because it takes place in the forest, where the public don’t see it happening, doesn’t mean it’s not happening.

In my opinion, we are one of the most cruel nations in the world, when it comes to the treatment of our wildlife. There have been plenty of cases of farm animals being poisoned too. Large numbers in some cases. Because the poison is dropped from the air, there is very little control over where it ends up.

Side Effects of the Poisoning Operations

One of the many side effects of the poisoning operations is that the pest species: rats and stoats are the fastest to recover because they have litters. Rats have several litters per year. So, two years after a ‘successful operation’, poison has to be dropped again to kill the increasing rat and stoat populations. It’s a vicious, pointless and destructive practice.

Although pest control is important in some areas and needs to be on-going, it’s also important that the public aren’t misled about the threat pests pose. For example, possums are not the threat the public are led to believe. However, the fear of the possum has certainly helped ensure that a pest industry is now well ‘justified’, established and on-going. The real threats are cats, dogs, stoats, and rats.

“I believe it would be better to do nothing, than to drop 1080 poison across New Zealand forests. Of the areas we film, all across New Zealand, the ones that have never had any 1080 poison are the ones that are the most alive with bird life. Yes, it’s hearsay and anecdotal, but these observations are consistent.”

In one area we recently visited in South Westland, while trying to film a roaring stag, we were followed around by multitudes of native fantails. We also came across morepork, warblers, other bird species, and the odd deer. The forest was alive and well. Yet, not far away, while filming a poison drop, there were no fantails following us around, no morepork or warblers, and only dead deer.

New Zealand’s Clean Green Image

As New Zealanders we pride ourselves on our clean, green image, and our love for the environment and wildlife. Yet, the truth is, we should be ashamed and revolted over what’s really taking place in our wilderness areas. We should be able to believe our authorities and bureaucrats when they tell us, on a daily basis, that what they are doing is a great job but we can’t!

We are being misled, and ignorance won’t save the wildlife or the environment. Sometimes we need to look for ourselves. That’s what I ask of you, to take a look. It doesn’t take long, but if you care about our wilderness areas, you really need to know. Please consider watching what the scientists, doctors, and experts say in ‘Poisoning Paradise’.

Favourite bush tucker?

We don’t eat the wild plants and huhu bugs, I’m sorry to tell you. We eat what’s easy and quick to cook. So, it’s a tin of fish, instant peas, and instant mashed potatoes, and then for desert it’s rice and sultanas, or macaroni and sultanas. Yum!

Sneak peek into future projects you’ve got on the boil?

Steve and I are working on a new tv series called ‘Wild Weekend Adventures.’ It’s a show that explores our wild places and the animals and creatures that exist there. Angry, wild kiwi charging the camera, raging, roaring red stags growling to within a few metres of the camera, and wanting to push their sharp tines through our bellies.

The majestic Southern Alps, the adventures of the Woodhill Forest, the breath-taking beauty of Fiordland, the dense beech forests of the Kaimanawa Ranges, the monster trout of the Rangitikei River. It’s about the wilderness, the animals, and the adventure of exploring them.

We are also working on a free-to-view, web-based outdoors tv show called ‘TV WILD’. It will also have a sales area where specially priced products are offered, on a time-limited basis. Cool bananas!

Poisoning Paradise VIDEO WARNING Some scenes may be disturbing to viewers