Cows - and cow faeces - have been seen in or near a river next to a popular kayaking and fishing spot in North Canterbury, a tourist operator says.
RNZ documented the cows and cow faeces right next to the Hurunui River.
The Department of Conservation (DOC) allows 80 cattle within the Lake Sumner Forest Park as long as farmers fulfil certain conditions.
That includes not letting them linger in the river, where there is a greater chance of their faeces entering the water.
In practice, those "conditions" seem to amount to diddly-squat. Rather than letting cows pollute a river within a conservation area, DoC should evict them. Cows and rivers just don't mix.