28 May
Council’s Freshwater Improvement Fund team- Haumanu Tū Ora, collaborated with Predator Free New Zealand and Tairāwhiti Environment Centre to bring Cam Speedy to Gisborne recently. Cam is a wildlife biologist with over 40 years of experience in ecosystem management. Around 60 people attended the free presentation at the Lawson Field Theatre on the 4th of April where Cam shared his top tips for effective predator control.
Amongst his talk were a few stand out messages including tips to better get to know your predator- how to set up a trap to optimise its efficacy, including tools to boost scent trails and reduce trapping hesitancy in more timid species. Cam emphasised the need to better plan and manage trapping sets ups and talked about how it’s not 'tails on the fence' you need to worry about- its who's still left in the ngahere.
Some of Cam’s top tips include;
- Spend time maintaining your traps- Well maintained traps help reduce non-lethal encounters (which create trap-shy animals)
- Make sure there are no sharp sprags around trap entrances or baffles- fold back the mesh if needed
- Pre-feed liberally before setting traps to “train” animals to come to the area
- Look for pad runs and linear features (roads, ridges, fencelines, rivers) and place the traps where the pests are
- Scuff around traps and use scented flour blaze to attract attention
- Keep lures fresh and seasonal- ie: egg lures in spring, duck carcasses around duck shooting season or feijoas in autumn
- If it isn’t working, change your approach- overused tools become ineffective
A field trip at Waikeruru sanctuary was organised the next day with a small group made up of representatives from a variety of local environmental groups and organisations.
A walk was organised around the sanctuary with introduction to different types of traps. The group was also able to ask questions to Cam and bring back valuable information to their team.
For more information on Cam's work with Predator Free New Zealand or to access previous predator trapping resources visit - Webinars - Predator Free NZ Trust
Check out Haumanu Tū Ora and Tairāwhiti Environment Centre's Facebook pages to keep up to date with your local trapping news.
