Interesting trap...Is there a particular reason for having two traps side by side in one location as opposed to two single tunnel traps that could cover two locations?

Ban cats from New Zealand

Just give the rabbits a diseas again?

we love you - just a bit of love mail for talking about feral cats

yea next year their will be sat cell coverage over the whole of NZ , you need to work on that

LOL the kea yea DOC destroyed more kea than they saved . they thought when they dropped bird proof 1080 the kea wouldn't eat the 1080 or the fatty dead possums. Then they blamed a bounty system that finished in the 1970,s and lead head nails.

Kill the music !

I saw two Kereru in Ahuriri Napier today

Animals definitely seem to have their regular routes. Our back lawn has a track or two and the top of the fences get used a lot.

hi , just a quick question , has anyone used a mirror to entice pests into the box traps ?

Stop this shit!

This expertise & understanding of the inner working of pest minds should reduce their populations by around 80% mean as quick smart. While difficult to assess objectively, results of any efficacy trials and references to the base data would be interesting to help evaluate the advice (trials miss the obvious occasionally, results can be limited to individual populations, but unedited data is generally accurate). The other 20% of pests, which can cause just as much damage in some circumstances, might take a bit more thinking and experience.

nice to listen, Enviromate100 did in 2014, most of what you now promote as yours..

What an awesome kōrero. Thank you for sharing. So helpful😊

smoked fish head bone good for cats

Does trigger go in front of small raises lip ?

Pls share more of these. What a find!! - conservationists from Hawai’i.

“Sales & Marketing” …I need to brush up my skills on this, for sure. Thanks!

Yeah kill it weka!

Does the DOC 200 works well for rats ( rather small rats, ) ? The 150 is not available in my country .

There should be more responsible cat owners, globally. Cats are outdoor killing machines of innocent birds and wildlife.

I've had some luck putting small pieces of a lure on top of the treadle. In the middle or far side of it, predators will stop for more. This is good if there are mice and small rats around, because they'll leave urine and faeces on the treadle, which are very powerful scent lures for other rodents, and the mustelids that hunt them. Female stoats and weasels eat lots of mice and small rats, so a tunnel that smells like them will increase interaction-rates. The blocks of white fat that you can buy in grocery stores that resemble candle wax, are an excellent, very cheap lure that is very attractive to all predator species, and lasts for a long time. I can't smell it at all, but predators sure can, which isn't a surprise, considering how attractive high-fat foods are to them. If you've had quiet traps for a while, I highly recommend giving it a go. Do a pre-feed to let the locals know what an amazing, calorie-dense food they've found, using small pieces/shavings of the fat, because you want it to be difficult to remove from the tunnel. If will be easier for predators to eat the small pieces inside the tunnel, where they'll leave strong scent-lures that will attract more predators to the tunnel(s). It's also really good in the bait-cup of snap-traps, like the T-Rex or Snap-E, or on the bait-holder of a Victor Pro. Just give it a decent squeeze inside or on top of the trap, to make it harder to eat. This winter, I've never had a piece of white fat go moldy, either, which is a huge plus. I don't know how well it lasts in hot weather, though, but I think it should smell more than it does in cool weather.

In Timms and cage traps, firm, half-ripe feijoas work really well. I've even trapped rabbits and hares with feijoas in Timms! Carrots? Never. Small chunks of apple coated with cinnamon also work really well in Timms, and I've trapped quite a few ship rats with cinnamon apple in DoC tunnels, too. In cool weather, cinnamon apple can stay good for a long time, and insects and invertebrates aren't interested in them. In warmer weather, though, cinnamon apple receives a lot of attention when they start to break down, because the sugar concentrates.

Very insightful tip, thank you I will try this

Uncs needs to catch his breath

On bigger trees, when they're mounted up higher, mounting them sideways using the other tab is best I reckon. Because then, it's easier for pests to get into. Because it doesn't stick out as far.

wohooo

Hi Tom, these are home made tunnels & traps - I don't think they are available commercially.

Why are the other predators not tracked? How do you know it is mostly the hedgehog doing the killing and egg eating? If you don't have a full-time camera on all the species that are predators...how can you say for sure the hedgehog is the worst offender? If man didn't interfere with the animals and habitats of the world and climate change ( caused by man ) species would not be turning into great eating machines of endangered species. Why can't all animals be left to do their own thing...live their own lives without human interference. Animals do not interfere in human affairs. Man has caused an unatural world for animals far from how they would be living if they didn't medal with nature.....introducing species, culling species, minimizing their habitats, and natural food sources. Why do some countries have certain animals protected and some countries don't? hedgehogs, possums, wallabies etc are still egg and animal eaters in whatever country they live in and each country has endangered species? Why should one animal be favored above another just because they are doing what man deems as wrong? The hedgehogs have probably been living there for many years alongside the endangered species and then here comes man again interfering. If a nest is raided maybe one egg is taken by a hedgehog, the next by another predator, so perhaps there are just too many predators for the endangered species to handle. Maybe the endangered birds need to be relocated...why does the hedgehog have to leave?

Facinating

Thanks Biz!

Good talk Biz!

This was awesome

where the damn rats at

Nails ain't kea proof. In alpine areas the screw usually goes through a metal L shaped plate.

then why wont my skink eat a banana

My cat is named Fred and he's 11

Beautiful. As a wildlife and scientific artist...with special interest on painting herps. May i use your video as a reference for a painting?

Great effort by your group.......SIRCET on Stewart Island has similar passionate people involved. I am on the Leadership group of Predator Free Rakiura and seeing what you are doing is so motivating...keep up the good work.

Nice one. We are trying the same with our cat.

Lovely video. Well done Emily and Fred!

Its great to see someone else who keeps their cats in and has a happy relationship with them. We live in Wellington too and have kept cats inside for close to twenty years .. this after losing one to a dog attack, and having other cats badly hurt outside. We take ours outside with us on long leads, have a catio built onto the house and lots of toys inside for them. Our cats don't harm the plentiful birdlife we have on our big bush covered section and don't bother the neighbors .. a win win.

As someone who lives on the edge of Waimapihi Reserve and is surrounded by birdlife every day, I'm incredibly grateful to Emily and all responsible cat owners. Although an ardent, lifelong cat lover, I have made the difficult decision not to get another cat. Since my wee guy passed away (of old age), I've actually found I get more joy from the birds, particularly the kererū who now frequents my kowhai tree every morning.

I've followed Dan's group for years, as here in Auckland it's very focused on poisoned bait, rather than trapping, and it gave me a sense of legitimacy to want to trap locally instead. The sense of community within their group is wonderful.

DOC 250 traps are overkill and not user friendly. DOC 200s with a couple of nail spikes attached to the plate will stop ferrets from pulling themselves out.

When are you folk going to look at rat houses or chicken pens to lure mustelids to traps. The caged live animals would keep the mustelids focused and make them less wary of adjacent traps. With such a large home range it should be possible to lower the trap density from 1 per 7 - 10 ha to 1 per 50 ha

Wow some great ideas, thanks for posting and for the work you do Dan 👍

Where can these traps be purchased online in New Zealand.?? Are they spendy in New Zealand??

Trappy McTrapface

Thanks for sharing!! I know my spotteds at Zealandia love their tinned pear but I've never gotten to watch them snack before 💕