This is “impossible”, but New Zealand is trying anyway.

The common wisdom is that, once an invasive species is truly established, it can't be eradicated - but I talked to the team from Predator Free Wellington, who think they can do just that. ■ Predator Free Wellington: www.pfw.org.nz/
Predator Free 2050: pf2050.co.nz/
Editor: Michelle Martin / @onthecrux
Camera: Conor Cameron cyansea.nz/
Producer: Virginia Wickham at Kevin & Co www.kevinandco...
🟥 MORE FROM TOM: www.tomscott.com/
(you can find contact details and social links there too)
📰 WEEKLY NEWSLETTER with good stuff from the rest of the internet: www.tomscott.c...
❓ LATERAL, free weekly podcast: lateralcast.com/ / lateralcast
➕ TOM SCOTT PLUS: / tomscottplus
👥 THE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES: / techdif

[@TomScottGo]

I've never heard so much birdsong as inside Zealandia, the fenced-off reserve. The small family of quail in one shot aren't a New Zealand species, but they were ground-dwelling and adorable enough that I had to include them!

[@Kat21]

Ok tom

[@miniak2708]

Tom Scott

[@EnyawYorlig]

They are also tasty!

[@ymeynot0405]

I am so happy that you mentioned Alberta.

[@ymeynot0405]

Are they going to also get rid of all dogs && cats? Just curious as to how seriously they are taking this.

[@soggybiscotti8425]

I lived in new Zealand for 2 years. I'm Australian. Only after a couple of months of already living there did I find out from my kiwi friend on the phone that they have no snakes or deadly spiders whatsoever, and no species that can genuinely cause significant harm at all. I walked outside in a daze in nothing but my boxers and laid down in the grass for an hour. I felt invincible. And I was.

[@Human-hs8sp]

We have only one lethal spider but otherwise yes.

[@jarlbreadmaker]

Snakes are outright illegal to have here because of the threat they could pose if in the wild.

[@nickjohnrox]

​@@Human-hs8sp and a shy, endangered spider with no deaths in over a hundred years hardly counts

[@cottonsheep2367]

australia and new zealand are polar opposites when it comes to lethal animals

[@ohiasdxfcghbljokasdjhnfvaw4ehr]

australia and new zealand are yin and yang

[@RyanHellyer]

I remember the prime minister John Key being mocked by a member of the media and told that this couldn't be done as it would cost more than 50 billion dollars. John Key just responded with ... well that's not a problem, as we are intending to spend more than 50 billion dollars on it.

[@The4No]

When a country's financial priorities are done right.

[@Ramonatho]

I know nothing about John Key other than he's got huge nuts

[@FutureCommentary1]

Other countries spend that much on defense. Priorities.

[@nafereuskortex9055]

​​@@The4No He spent millions on changing the flag, we did not end up changing the flag despite have a very popular one people actually wanted. He made one large deal with china at the start and people keeped mocking him from that point on.

[@cogspace]

It's strange to think of spending $50 billion as some kind of impossible hurdle. I suppose New Zealand is a very small country, but the US recently passed a $900 billion infrastructure bill. And we can barely pass anything significant.

[@userunaemu]

Life hack: If you're travelling in New Zealand, there are free snacks and condiments available in small boxes on the ground.

[@kwerk2011]

And make sure to check those real estate signs for peanut butter

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

And the peanut butter is not poisoned, because it's legally not allowed to be!

[@zaidlacksalastname4905]

Just tried them, they're delicious *Dies*

[@finnmakin]

😂😂😂😂

[@clintonleonard5187]

Any big city has treats like these everywhere.

[@rora9553]

6 months to remove all rats from an area… I don’t know how many of you realize just how incredible this truly is. Good job, New Zealand!

[@porkcutlet3920]

Indeed, rats are incredibly smart and traditional methods of trapping and poisoning rarely work since the older rats will wait for younger rats or mice to test out new things.

[@industrialgoose4756]

I couldn't even remove all the rats in my studio apartment in that amount of time

[@S85B50Engine]

Only 6 months is insanely quick as well

[@MarceloSilva-ix9ks]

@@porkcutlet3920 tbh although they are smart hey keep going after the peanut butter, I'm a member of an NGO in NZ and that's that I sue to relure the traps. and they keep coming.

[@safffff1000]

House cats are huge killers, how does the country handle those?

[@tommarchant8215]

The volunteer force also includes people who have yards/gardens. They get supplied a free predator free bait box so they can place it safely in their garden. Normally it’s a garden which is backed onto bush or scrub. My parents do this and live 15min away from Zealandia. Great video Tom!

[@jonathanwright5550]

Naigo? My brother has a place there. It's nuts the birds that cruze around his place now

[@MsSteelphoenix]

As a Kiwi in the UK, this made me rather homesick, especially the contrast of the accents. Happy to see my little corner of the world getting some love for our ecological projects - as a nation our native species are something we're proud to protect. Well done on pronouncing Maori words correctly!

[@chaosinfest1333]

Correctly ish. Good on him for making an effort, certainly. It's more than some folks will do

[@RatelHBadger]

​@@chaosinfest1333 I think it may be Tom's inability to roll his R's that stop him pronouncing them really accurately.

[@SoiBoi_Kelda1059]

U identify as a Kiwi or what?

[@4pf_Jakey]

I Moved 5 years ago, from Cornwall very different country but lovely!

[@RatelHBadger]

@@SoiBoi_Kelda1059 to whom are you referring to?

[@thelionoob]

fun fact: the animal in 0:13 is not a lizard, but a tuatara, the last surviving member of the rhynchocephalia order. Lizards are more related to snakes than tuataras are to lizards.

[@akr7127]

Interesting!

[@kelpklepto]

It may not be a lizard, but I think it's more likely a 5 cent coin.

[@logosloki]

@@kelpklepto It was indeed on the 5c coin. Was because the 5c coin was demonetised in 2006. The 10c coin is the lowest physical currency denomination in NZ with all prices paid in cash rounded up (5-9c) or down (1-4c).

[@Chris_winthers]

And some kinds of lizard are closer related to snakes than to other kinds of lizard

[@RobMacKendrick]

@@Chris_winthers And then there's the glass lizard, which has no legs and moves and largely looks like a snake, but is well-removed from the snake line, leaving many ordinary, legged lizards more closely related to snakes than they are. It's all very confusing.

[@hattix6713]

Quick correction: Tom said that for 85 million years, there were no native land mammals. The "Saint Bathans Mammal", now extinct, was found in the Miocene of New Zealand. It was an archaic mammal of neither placental nor marsupial lineage, a lineage which was extinct everywhere else long before the Miocene!

[@kakapofan6542]

When was it last here?

[@marcusrichards698]

The current consensus amongst scientists is that the extrememly fragmentary remains described as the St Bathans Mammal are not convincingly anything more than bat remains. In the following 17 years no convincing material conclusively not bat has been found and described. The hunt is still on to prove non-flying terrestrial mammals were ever here

[@1882osr]

Had to looked it up and ironically it looks like an angry rat

[@canadian9628]

@@kakapofan6542 The Miocene epoch was from around 5 Mya to 23 mya

[@deleted-something]

Damn

[@yingo928]

as a kiwi, i just want to thank you for making this sort of mini series on new zealand and the amazing things within our country. we have a running joke here about being left off maps but i think that your videos are probably the best tourism ads we’ve had in a while

[@heyitsmiika]

it makes me interested for sure :D

[@es4628]

That you are killing innocent animals? Makes the country look horrible. I don’t know how you think this is positive. This video should have a disclaimer.

[@daygone4946]

@@es4628 i am for possums on the road in NZ good money in that fur to

[@bee2745]

​@@es4628 no, they are *saving* innocent animals

[@zooparty1257]

​@@es4628 those animals are killing species that can't be found anywhere else in the world. Hate to say it but without killing them, many species of flightless bird that are unique to the country could go extinct. so y'know. it is what it is.

[@1011-p6c]

3:25 “If the rat can get in, how does it not get out?” Turns out that’s not a worry

[@Nick-bb4nk]

"How does he get out?" "Funny thing, actually."

[@markusklyver6277]

I mean, the rat did get out. Just not alive.

[@mehere8038]

just splat it until all parts fit through the wire :)

[@coalcreekdefense8106]

How does the rat get out? With a hose.

[@procrastinator41]

Tom's obviously a great guy, but no farm boy 😸

[@linkayy35]

As a kiwi its very encouraging to see that Tom Scott is addressing a very serious problem here and bringing it forward for the world to see. :)

[@larsstougaard7097]

KIWI 🥝 FOR LIFE ✌️

[@andezbox]

He's promoting a stollen franchise. Current Poached version of Pfnz is involved with dropping a deadly insecticide via helicopter all over our conservation estate . This is why Pfnz was sabotaged. Original Pfnz was designed to use trapping and not poision contamination.

[@dynastygal]

It's not a problem that should be handled with murder. Pure hypocrisy.

[@nclark5720]

@@dynastygal how else do you suggest it be handled then?? it wouldn't be feasible to relocate the rats, there's nowhere where they would be welcome. humans caused the problem of rats being there, so it's up to us to remove them so that the native species of new zealand can survive. we owe it to them.

[@moonunit7417]

@@dynastygal It's ok, it's just rats. Sure, it is documented that they are capable of displaying empathy, but most of the world hates them so it's fine to torture them to death with glue traps if you choose. Just don't kill a cat, or the internet will get out it's pitchforks

[@sonja5058]

I was lucky enough to catch you on your last night in NZ, Tom - thanks so much for grabbing a picture with my friends and I! Sorry if we were super awkward 😅 I'm actually a geospatial analyst/ecologist so it is awesome to see you spread awareness of the awesome work that Miramar and more widely Predator Free NZ are doing. It sucks that in NZ, eradicating mammals is the best way to protect our wildlife, but we make that tough choice. Hope you had a safe journey, ka kite anō!

[@deutschelehrer69]

🤓

[@grammarnazi1868]

@@lingoat. You're*

[@kadekitchin7356]

@@grammarnazi1868 Yr'eou*

[@demologic76]

@@kadekitchin7356Yro'ue*

[@autocorrect2313]

@@demologic76 roYu'e

[@mathevideos9909]

There are only about 300 Takahe (Bird at 0:16) left in the world. I had the honor to watch over twelve of them for a few months. I was setting each of the thousands of traps every fortnight. Two of the Takahe escaped and had to be hunted down with tracking equipment and lots of manpower. (They carry little backpacks with radios, that turn on for a few hours every day.) There is even a comic book inspired by this story. (Takahe Trouble! by Sally Sutton) The nature of new Zealand is just stunning!

[@JohnDlugosz]

Escaped from what?

[@mathevideos9909]

@@JohnDlugosz from the peninsula that we kept pest free.

[@mathevideos9909]

@@JohnDlugosz usually there is a big fence, but when there is a really low tide, there is a small strip of beach not fenced. So they wandered of to see new territory. But in the buffer zone, they are not save. There are stoats and possums.

[@crazydragy4233]

Damn, what a story

[@dinicti]

Great job Mathe in retrieving them! They look like rails and as such that must have been quite the challenge!!

[@raphaelnikolaus0486]

I would like to see more of Tom Scott showcasing _ecosystem management_ projects around the planet.

[@JosephDavies]

Same. This is a great general topic that I'm sure could fuel videos for years.

[@ReadalotSleepyhead24]

+

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

I just know there are hundreds of enthusiastic ecosystem managers out there just like the one in this video. Tom should talk to as many of them as he can find.

[@rebeccagibbs4128]

he should do a video about the judas goats in the Galapagos!

[@ElectricityTaster]

Yes, but he should read a bit of critical environmental theory and stop peddling the fascist ideology of the invasion biologists.

[@akitatokoyama]

You're very right, if anyone can do it New Zealand can! They have been leading the way with predator control systems and here in Hawaii we have been utilizing their style of predator-proof fences and rodent traps to protect critically endangered snails and plants. Really rooting for a rat free country by 2050!

[@mmhmm9271]

You believe that snails possess more moral value than rats?

[@ameliatang5428]

@@mmhmm9271 yes. if they are a native species, they will probably provide more to the ecosystem than what invasive rats can, or at least serve as a food source for other native species. invasive rats will only take away from the ecosystem with no real returns and no natural predators to limit their growth

[@mmhmm9271]

@@ameliatang5428 according to you, a species' moral worth is determined by whether or not its presence is conducive to the health of an ecosystem. You must therefore be in favour of genociding certain human populations, since the ecological destruction that we cause is millions of times greater than that which rats cause.

[@STURM323]

@@mmhmm9271 it's about native species and invasive species that drive native animals to extinction. But New Zealand is also doing a lot wrong in their approach. They're distribution huge amounts of poison across the country and claim it would be ignored by birds and just be eaten by mammals. But it's a well known fact across the country that countless birds die from eating that poison. But as always, extreme left, right or green politicians become very authoritarian when someone opposes their opinion.

[@HinduBoy]

Still probably gonna be overrun by chatty Paleo critters tho 🤡

[@LeoGameMusic]

Emma seems so invested in the project, it's a big challenge but I can see they pulling it off

[@ohiasdxfcghbljokasdjhnfvaw4ehr]

amazing what people are capable of when they don't hate what they're doing

[@clray123]

There's probably a place in Rat Hell waiting for her.

[@WigglyWings]

@@ohiasdxfcghbljokasdjhnfvaw4ehr and they have enough funding.

[@KatDoesCrime]

@@WigglyWings we uh, we're trying on the funding part Our last PM blew it on a few things that were kind of stupid (instead of helping to fix our really annoying water pollution problem) So we're doing what we can.

[@dickard8275]

@Zaydan Alfariz Yes the walking disaster of a PM.

[@DerAykac]

Thx to Douglas Adams New Zealand wildlife will always have a place in my heart. Just thinking about how he described the Kakapo casts a smile on my face. I really hope they succeed in saving all these species.

[@AnimeSunglasses]

I wish that he had lived to see this...

[@lonestarr1490]

My no. 1 favorite book of all time

[@ryanbauer3680]

For me it was Stephen Fry describing how a Kapapo was shagging zoologist Mark Carwardine's head in front of him

[@28russ]

I'm guessing that's because of last chance to see? About the only book of his I haven't read.

[@1zaj34]

@@28russ Do it. It will be worth your time, I promise.

[@valuedhumanoid6574]

Interesting. I watched a documentary about a place called Rat Island that had a pristine ecosystem until a European shipwreck brought rats and they totally devistated the island until it was the only life on it. They dropped that poison wax bait all over the place and killed every single rat. Today, it's back to its normal balance of other life. So the damage is reversible, just not easy

[@abraham2626]

Hawadax Island?

[@OrpheoCT]

Reversible? What about extinct species? :/

[@LickMyMusketBallsYankee]

If you're referring to the Aleution Islands that was actually a Japanese shipwreck. You can't blame Europeans for everything

[@CallieMasters5000]

Reintroduce the original native species from another island.

[@cggc9510]

@@OrpheoCT most species on small islands that contend with rats are birds and small reptiles, such as turtles. Birds, esp in the Southern Ocean, where rat island is/was, fly and only show up to mate/breed/rear offspring. With the rats, birds will eventually leave and not return return in fewer numbers. Without them, they are free to return and thrive. That is what I am guessing is meant by restored ecosystem.

[@nathanwheoki7969]

Your pronunciation of "kaitiakitanga" was amazing! Its super meaningful that you took the time and effort to learn Te Reo and how to pronounce each syllable.

[@tomassunaert1300]

How to say he studies linguistics without saying he studied linguistics

[@IndigoGamme]

One of the Members of Predator Free NZ 2050 came to a Invasive Plant Control Conference held in Nashville Tennessee this past year. They gave two amazing presentations that really went in depth about the goals and methods there are using. Several community included or run projects are being implemented all across NZ. Tom did an excellent job showcasing just a small section of this project. I would highly recommend visiting both of the websites in the description and learning more about it. It was extremely fascinating and worth the time investment.

[@sonofliberty1]

Are they campaigning for NZ to go fully vegetarian? I'd say raising animals for slaughter is quite predatory.

[@egeozgul7637]

@@sonofliberty1 How is this in any way related to vegetarianism or raising animals for slaughter? They are "simply" trying to remove rats so the native species that are defenseless can survive instead of them.

[@KamiKai]

@@sonofliberty1 You're unhinged lmao

[@gbazo762]

​@@sonofliberty1you realized farmed animals have now evolved specifically to be suited for being farmed and couldn't survive in the wild anymore right?

[@gdwe1831]

​@sonofliberty1 cry more mate, your tears are delicious.

[@MozartTheGOAT]

I love that Tom is making so many videos about Australia and New Zealand!

[@tobiaswerner4418]

-Austrian

[@x9466x]

I think he travels between regions and whenever he is in a certain region, there's going to be multiple videos from that area. For example, there was a time when there were like three videos about Germany back to back

[@zachstarattack7320]

when u gonna drop a new album

[@Cody-Coyote]

I love your music Mozart, I wish you would make another piece soon

[@imconfused6955]

Mozart please come to Colombia soon

[@SimonHDTV]

I live right beside Zealandia, the bird sanctuary filmed in this video! I wake up each morning to the songs of thousands of native birds and it is truly amazing to live in a country where so much effort is put into the natural environment around you

[@johnchemo4248]

@@thehenryperrin Hahaha...all we need now are tents and used syringes on the footpaths so we can be just like San Francisco!

[@user-uy6uc5ey5q]

@@johnchemo4248 What are you talking about?

[@fatbastard70]

If more people can experience the results of a predator-free area then the public can get more involved and more supportive of the overall 2050 goal.

[@trevorstewart8]

@@johnchemo4248 Pardon?

[@johnchemo4248]

@@trevorstewart8 Why?....did you pass wind?

[@Malama1492]

I frequently do walks around the areas that were filmed and I can confidently say there are far more bird life now than I can ever remember! My family work for the Department of Conservation and also Forest & Bird in the Wellington region so we set traps and do a lot of planting of native plants, it’s hard work but it’s gotta be done 😌

[@bonham1981]

I encountered these traps everywhere when I was in NZ last November/December. Sometimes in some very remote areas, hours from the nearest road. Every few 100 m. A monumental task but so worth it.

[@UnderworldArtist]

I've been here in NZ almost all my life, and I'm so used to all the traps and anti-pest stuff that I never considered how difficult the overall task was

[@a_loyal_kiwi88]

I've been trapping before, it's not that hard aside from having to hike a lot, but the bush is always nice. For me the hardest part was actually killing the animals, It's for a good cause but still sad.

[@stan_lego_eda]

me too, I see them everywhere but never really thought about it as I've leaved here my entire life

[@JackBlackNinja]

@@a_loyal_kiwi88 a quick, painless euthanasia is a death that any being could hope for at any age. Sure, you are cutting a life off from whatever it would experience later, but that tends to end in painful tragedy for most beings. The thing that would indeed weigh on my mind is killing a mother or father upon which babies are relying and will now starve or be eaten.

[@artsyscrub3226]

@@a_loyal_kiwi88 As sad as it is i think this is a good cause, the rats are causing massive damage to native wildlife and they aren't native, they are bad for the ecosystem so while a life has to be take at the least its a life that will save thousands of others, we have so few natural animals in many places even in america alot of our native wildlife is slowly dying out, so it's sad but it will save lots of lives

[@syriuszb8611]

I love the "Rats, stoats and weasels: please come in! Humans: Do not touch!" sign.

[@LTPottenger]

Many people complained about the rodent literacy program, but I think it's obvious it's paid off.

[@stranded9225]

Strange since rats stoats and weasels can’t read

[@DeletedDevilDeletedAngel]

@@stranded9225 thats the joke! Humans can read but not the pests, meant to be humourous while still warning people

[@michaelcauser474]

I think that these lovely people are working on an old, but often not used, statement. The impossible we do straight away, miracles take a little longer. Fantastic work and my compliments to all involved in this project.

[@alexeiwebb5159]

I worked on the Isles of Scilly project for a little bit when they removed rats from 2 of the islands with help from the NZ teams. It was super effective and the native seabird came back really fast. The NZ team was so helpful and the project was a great success, they are looking at removing more on more islands. Nature can bounce back with help. Shame that bird flu is now taking a lot of the effort out.

[@wickedcabinboy]

@Alexei Webb - Unfortunately Mother Nature is a *itch

[@DrPotassium]

Just think how bad things would be if it was birdflu + rats! The birds would stand no chance.

[@your_local_mp3.541]

Thanks for using Kaitiakitanga correctly, it does roughly translate to what you said but most I personally think "Protect the Land that protects you" is a nice way to put it too.

[@martink6092]

And thankyou Tom for pronouncing it /kai-ti-a-ki-ta-ƞa/ without inserting a /g/ sound. English speakers outside NZ (especially in the UK) tend to lack the /ƞ/ consonant, so well done mastering it.

[@emissarygw2264]

@@martink6092 in layman's terms, how do you pronounce that? Is it like "nyah"?

[@austronesian_menace]

@@emissarygw2264kinda like the ng sound in tongue

[@jasonhaven7170]

White NZLs can't pronounce it either. @@martink6092

[@FinolaMulholland]

An adage by which we all would do well to live !

[@austinwakeman89]

As someone who's lived in rural America my entire life I definitely relate to this. As unfortunate as it is, some animals just absolutely have to die in order to keep the surrounding land healthy and sustainable. Especially once you get into farming, rats WILL wreak some serious havoc on your farm if you're not careful. As someone who loves animals it hurts me to say but some of them just can't be tolerated in certain situations.

[@mrsith1402]

I'm afraid it's your farm that is wreaking havok

[@daddymuggle]

It's an uncomfortable fact that conservation means killing.

[@adarcus4053]

Exactly. I have an undying distaste for spiders, however I acknowledge that they're incredibly important in our ecosystem. frankly if they weren't so freaky I even can acknowledge that they're kind of a cool creature. If I encounter one of my personal space like my home unfortunately it's going to die. But the moment it's outside I will gladly give it its space and just keep moving on with my life.

[@martijn9568]

​@Adarcus It really depends on the kind of spider, I suppose. Any spider from Northwestern Europe is small and safe enough to be set outside with the help of a newspaper or something similar. Although hands can be used as well. Yet, even here people have an irrational fear of our spiders or wasps for that matter.

[@KimJongUnnie]

@@adarcus4053 you know they’re in there for a reason, right? Enjoy your other bugs 😂 I don’t love spiders but if they’re not bothering me they can stay because they kill anything else that comes round

[@jonq8714]

I really admire people who observe a problem, work out a solution and then commit to fixing it. Here in America, we observe a problem, argue about whether or not it exists, complain that no one is fixing it, then just give up because something else has popped up that is just as bad or worse.

[@thangri-la]

Oh please. There are plenty of solutions made in America just like there are many inactions in NZ

[@booradley6832]

If all you do is watch the news and listen to people who make money telling you that you should be scared and frustrated, sure. If you want to take a look around the real world you'll find an America where we've solved problems from how to control locusts, erosion and crop yields, put a man on the moon, spearheaded creating a video games industry that's larger than music and movies combined and now we're moving on to the upcoming commercial nuclear fusion reactors, you'll see that we still get lots of problem solving done.

[@JL-go3]

@@thangri-la way to take a well meaning comment and reply with a snarky comment. You must be fun to be around.

[@jimparr01Utube]

Rather cynical. But agreed that seems to be how your top-down Government has failed your nation for many years now.

[@istvanglock7445]

@@JL-go3 Americans can be very defensive. Not exactly sure why.

[@patchvonbraun]

The national attitude towards preserving New Zealand's breathtaking beauty and unique blend of flora and fauna is one of the reasons that when I visited for 6 weeks in 1989, I was "indelibly stamped" by the place. It got under my skin and into my soul, and if there was a practical way for me to live there, I would.

[@alfnoakes392]

I came here 20 odd years ago for a year (to work). Stayed. The UK seems a very strange place now the occasional time I've been back.

[@AholeAtheist]

I just wish that had kicked in a century earlier before most of the native bush was deforested for agriculture and horticulture.

[@quinntrbl]

Good luck bro this housing shortage is something different I'll tell you

[@travcollier]

Try to spread that spirit wherever you live.

[@patchvonbraun]

@@travcollier Well sure. But no Keas or Fantails here :) :)

[@phyllostomus]

Hi Tom! I'm sure someone else has mentioned this, but the "lizard" you showed isn't a lizard at all - it's a tuatara. They're the closest living relatives of lizards, but have been separate for some 200+ million years.

[@icebergrose8955]

Technically a tuatara is a dinosaur.

[@phyllostomus]

@@icebergrose8955 no, it's a rhynchocephalian. dinosaurs are archosaurs, not lepidosaurs.

[@RickReasonnz]

@@icebergrose8955 A Dinosaur's close cousin. With three eyes. Tuatara are cool.

[@icebergrose8955]

@@phyllostomus technically it's not a dinosaur 😆

[@phyllostomus]

@@RickReasonnz They are not especially closely related to dinosaurs. They are lepidosaurs, close relatives of lizards. It's a weirdly common misconception.

[@ChortleGonnaDraw]

It's always weird seeing Tom talk about and walk around your country. I'm always like "oh I know that place! I know about that!"

[@Feraloidies]

He was near my area in Aus recently and I was like oh wait that's home!

[@FunAngelo2005]

And this is how you succesfully get rid of pedophiles. Wait, we aren't talking about that kind of predetor????

[@SemiHypercube]

Completely fighting off an invasive species is definitely easier if it's an island country

[@terrunt]

Technically all countries are island countries

[@Soken50]

@@terrunt no

[@lebthot5787]

@@terruntsomeone skipped geography

[@imveryangryitsnotbutter]

@@terrunt A country that occupies the entirety of an island, genius.

[@maruftim]

@@terrunt well, if you wanna call continents as massive island

[@karlfimm]

I knew about the "Predator Free ..." groups (there's one in my rural town) but I didn't realise they'd had so much success in Wellington. Most inspiring.

[@oggilein1]

Not just wellington either, these are all over the country and the traps making it possible even moreso so

[@goatfiddler8384]

In a similar vein, Macquarie Island was been brought back from infested to "native only". As YT will kill any links, do a search for: "From 300,000 rabbits to none: a Southern Ocean island is reborn". It's only 128km^2, a fair bit smaller than NZ but hopefully an indicator to the future.

[@MrScorpianwarrior]

"A fair bit" doesn't quite to it justice. If I'm not mistaken, Macquarie Island is 128 square kilometers and New Zealand is 268,000 square kilometers - 2,000 times larger. It is still an indicator that it can be done at small scales, but I just want to put it into some perspective.

[@VhenRaTheRaptor]

​@@MrScorpianwarrior It is however larger scale than most of the previous projects. Most of which were only a handful of square KMs if I recall.

[@Dave_Sisson]

It's not only Macquarie Island (south of Tasmania) that has eliminated rats and other land mammals, South Georgia (south east of the Falklands) also did it. Both extermination programmes took years and cost a lot of money. But the benefits are showing already.

[@jonathanwright5550]

​@@MrScorpianwarrior here in New zealand we have a few islands that are preditor free

[@ElectricityTaster]

"native only" is the dumbest idea to ever infect ecological thought. Just because the firsts taxonomists found a species in a place they call it native. It's completely arbitrary and it invariably ends up hurting the species we don't like, like rats. Other species, like potatoes, corn, spanish bluebells, etc. get preferential treatment. It is fascism applied to the natural world. You start with the zyklon and you end up with the zyklon B. Sickening video.

[@quincyzhou2296]

As a person living in new zealand, i have seen too many traps for rats, mice, possums and wasps. We are trying, strict biosecurity measures restrict pests from coming overseas or to remote islands

[@antonjimmy5636]

I'm a Kiwi, had a bad day at work, and this has brightened my day. Thank you to all involved

[@Jayhow90]

Me too!

[@bundyburnoutsnz8689]

@@Jayhow90 Me Three

[@etuwalker1082]

@@bundyburnoutsnz8689 me four 😅

[@Onio_Saiyan]

Thing about calling something a moonshot is that It conveys that this task is a massive undertaking and after a lot of work could still be possible.

[@candiman4243]

I suppose that apollo just straight up changed the meaning of that phrase, which is honestly a bit inspiring

[@trueaussie9230]

​@@cmmartti Didn't Jules Verne use that term in 1865 (or maybe 1870)?

[@seank8689]

Well, RocketLab did send one up that way just last year...

[@rabidL3M0NS]

“We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win, and the others, too.” - President Kennedy This is the attitude! Kia kaha!

[@Mell0wY3ll0w]

One thing I miss about New Zealand is how well they explain everything.

[@kiwiwifi]

Zats riiight

[@steviewondek]

*Icksplain.

[@LadyWildlower]

Update from a kiwi - "Impossible" huh? Not so! As reported on the news this evening, the Miramar Peninsula is now predator free!

[@danielsteadman4210]

As a Wellingtonian I'm massively proud of our predator free work. The big area, the fenced off reserve shown near the beginning is called Zealandia and already it's helped native birds be a common sight around Wellington in just a few years.

[@alexrauber7917]

do you also think King Canute had any chance in stopping the tide?

[@dmo7815]

Central Indiana. I trapped out about 100 raccoon last year using dog proof foot traps. Dog food with peanut butter mixed in for bate . I do this for the birds,, mostly Turkey population.

[@Chenpachi]

@@alexrauber7917 This method of control has been shown to be tried and true on other islands. Don't make idiotic comparisons to religious stories in an effort to stop humans from trying to improve nature, especially with regards to invasive species.

[@Squilk]

I lived in Wellington for a year, and it’s nostalgic to see this. I used to walk in the hills around Upper Hutt and would often see possums caught in traps. Back then, the traps didn’t seem that humane. Thankfully things have progressed. New Zealand has a very high cat ownership, and whilst they may not prey to the same extent as rats, etc, I fear the bird population will still struggle.

[@Vandalgia]

NZ should also introduce a law that can punish anyone who let their cats roam free/abandon them in the wild. But hopefully, feral cats aren't a problem there, because cats are just so destructive to the ecosystem.

[@kenneth9874]

Cats are the worst

[@bpmgaming3351]

An interesting problem to have, for sure. In a lot of places, people can just let their cats in and out as they please. It certainly is noted that domesticated cats do cause small animal extinctions. What's worse is house cats don't usually even eat what they kill. They just play with the animal. Perhaps shock collars would have to be a mandate, given I don't think it's fair for cats to have to be indoors all the time, and declawing is worse than a shock they'll learn to avoid imo.

[@stephgreen3070]

Lyall’s Wren is a good example of what one domestic cat can do to a species. Tibbles the cat managed to, with some help from greedy humans, extinct an entire species from Steven’s Island.

[@PanduPoluan]

Controlling cats is a tad bit easier than controlling rats, though. Cats don't breed as fast, and since cats are hunters rather than scavengers, they don't tend to invade nests. Also, cats also kill rats, so at the moment the cats are still allowed to roam free until the rats are under severe control. Then cats will be next.

[@nathansnerdynook]

Thanks for the Alberta shout-out. We're proud of our rat-free status, a lot of people work(ed) very hard to make it happen, but we know we have a lot of lucky factors in our favor to thank for it too.

[@rorydakin8048]

i think the most amazing thing about Alberta is not that it started rat free, but managed to remain rat free up to modern times! if only we could rid ourselves of other crop ruining invasive pests, like cabbage moths or potato beetles.

[@JonMartinYXD]

@@rorydakin8048 And mountain pine beetles.

[@Elenesski]

I love telling people about it ... they are frequently astonished that Alberta is rat free.

[@FBI_Cyber]

You can see my house from there. You can see my house from there!!! YOU CAN SEE MY HOUSE FROM- Wait, that’s not my house.

[@efensiemusic]

The red shirt has changed its hue of red slowly over about 2-3 years, becoming slowly darker in its redness.

[@sailoragitate900]

that's me going into his closet and switching his shirt out with a different, darker red shirt every time

[@eljanrimsa5843]

he is re-editing and re-uploading his old videos constantly to mess with our color perception

[@efensiemusic]

@@sailoragitate900 is it just blue jeans and Red shirts, or does he have some secret clothes he hasnt told us about?????

[@L3monsta]

I would love Tom to do a video on the Māui dolphin. It's one of the rarest and smallest dolphins in the world. Conservationists in NZ are trying to restore their numbers from about a hundred or so.

[@ross8036]

There’s few things I love more than seeing a group of people unified in accomplishing the impossible

[@niedermitderjagd1968]

Simple question: Are you vegan? Because we need to accomplish something impossible and its saving this planet and we're not gonna do it with still buying animal products.

[@shyrafrancisco2248]

There are, not there's.

[@ApplezOi]

@@shyrafrancisco2248 Mans not writing an essay bruh

[@TheShizzlemop]

@@niedermitderjagd1968 you really think that is the biggest issue? the largest issue we face BY FAR is pollution and waste. plastics, styrofoam, toxic waste in general, combustion byproducts, toxic industry byproducts. all of these things being dumped into our rivers and shoved under the earth to be filtered through by the rainwater. the biggest efforts we can make are to reduce the amount of waste we produce, and the amount of toxic products and byproducts we make. rampant consumerism is a massive reason for the waste we create, there is a reason companies are creating products with lower and lower lifespans. they plan for their products to break, because they design them to be cheap and disposable. laws need to be made to prevent these kinds of things from happening, because consumers clearly will choose a cheap shitty option and buy it a dozen times instead of buying one moderately expensive version that will last a lifetime (if they can even find one anymore). the adage of "they dont make em like they used to" rings true in many industries. things USED to be built to last, because that was a marketing point that mattered to people. now people dont care or even know how to service their own equipment, in addition to companies lobbying to make it illegal to service your own equipment (in the US at least) the biggest threat to our planet is our modern comfy consumerism based lifestyles that generate hundreds time the waste we actually need to generate leaving no chance to effectively clean up after ourselves. smog isnt caused by animal products, landfills that poison the water around them arent caused by animal products, the toxic chemicals that get dumped haphazardly into the environment kill wildlife, kill people, and ruin ecosystems. the country sized trash vortex in the ocean? that isnt caused by animal products. it doesnt matter if you buy animal products or not, they're both gonna come wrapped in excessive plastics that end up in your food and drink, disrupting wildlife and humans biology. switching off of all animal products will do very little to help the earth out, the most pressing issue is regulation for byproducts and waste. especially new waste management laws. the biggest part is reduction, it doesnt matter how much you re-use or recycle if you dont reduce the initial amount. and no, cows are not causing climate change.

[@shyrafrancisco2248]

@@TheShizzlemopWhat is the root cause? The biggest threat is human overpopulation. Humans are the ultimate invasive species, and need to be culled before they destroy the planet.

[@GadgetAddict]

I can only imagine how many people kept telling them it cannot be done. It turns out with a little hard work, you can actually accomplish a lot.

[@huldu]

It has to be an ongoing process which is the sad reality. The second they stop or think it's done that's when the problem returns. At the end of the day people are people and it only takes one person to ruin it all.

[@georgebaker9929]

When he started with the "Maōri word roughly translates to...." I did not expect some dope pronunciation. Respect to you Tom for taking the time on everything, even making sure you're respecting NZ's native language :)

[@user-ii1iy8fz1d]

Native? Which native language of NZ? What about language spoken by the people's here before the Maori...?

[@snakeixirTM]

​@@user-ii1iy8fz1d there were no people here before māori

[@user-ii1iy8fz1d]

​@@snakeixirTM funny, as there are Maori who talk of the people's. And we all know about the moriori. What of the waitaha, Ngati mamoi, the patuparaiahe . Might bugger of legislation if the truth was acknowledged though right...

[@user-ii1iy8fz1d]

​@@snakeixirTMthe fact that different iwi cant even agree on a story... 🤣

[@user-ii1iy8fz1d]

​@@snakeixirTMwe are all settlers in nz.

[@tezzanoia]

As a rat parent, I very much approve of this and her respect for rats while also acknowledging how harmful they can be, especially as an invasive species. It's nice to see someone who can see both sides, them being an issue in certain areas AND them being amazing animals at the same time

[@DanielEarlester]

There's nothing wrong with rats, just humans.

[@tach-uq5tw]

Fellow rat parent here, they may not be at fault for their invasion, human are, but the harm they can do is undeniable, gald to see they try to be humane and not vilify them

[@crystaledwards8854]

Yep, I love rats, but in the New Zealand ecosystem, they have a devastating impact.

[@SunnySalasar]

Rats in urban environments do an immeasurable deed for humanity by reducing waste that would otherwise need to be processed and we're talking absurd amounts. Damn, I love rats too. Berlin has a lot of rats, occasionally sitting on a pipe above a river in summer and it's like a rat high way, even if at least half of them are too scared to run over my legs to reach the other side.

[@sese8976]

@@SunnySalasar yess but in Europe they are natural

[@DarrylTalks]

I am constantly amazed that bird species, that were rare to see when I was a kid, are common now. I see Tui playing and feeding in my suburban streets and gardens and Kereru sitting on the powerlines by a bridge near my mums house almost every evening when I drive past.

[@jarbuthn]

As an Albertan who's been to NZ twice (loved it both times) I appreciate this video on many levels including the shout-out about rat-free Alberta. Well done!

[@StaringAtSidewalks]

Hi fellow Albertan buddy.

[@northwestpassage6234]

Howdy

[@maapauu4282]

I was soo confused because here in Auckland Albertan also refers to someone from Mt Albert

[@anilaurel]

As an Albertan, I'm so proud of them

[@jarbuthn]

@@maapauu4282 Ya, it's local vs. more global thinking... like when people think Kiwi's are only fruit! :)

[@DonPaliPalacios]

Reminds me of a successful goat eradictation project on the Galápagos Islands: "Project Isabela". There are some good videos on KZbin about it. They used "Judas goats", which are sterilized goats with trackers that instinctively look for groups of fellow goats. The group would then be killed sparing only the Judas, and the cycle would repeat until the natural death of the animal.

[@micheinnz]

That had to be hard on the Judas goats. Every time one of them makes new friends they're all murdered...

[@alfnoakes392]

@@micheinnz Jup, I was thinking that should be "until the natural death of the by then heavily traumatised animal".

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

@@micheinnz That could be a very harrowing horror story.

[@4rtie]

Hey, if landlocked Alberta could get rid of rats in 1950, why can't an island nation in 2023?

[@jerotoro2021]

In Alberta we had it quite a lot easier. Most of the area is grassy prairie and foothill, and only taiga forests in the north. No thick jungle. The harsh winters are harsh for the rats too. And we have native wolves, coyotes, weasels, lynx, bobcats, hawks, falcons, owls, etc. who all prey on rats, so they help out a lot as well.

[@scottdick296]

Like he said, Alberta never HAD rats. If rats ever got established there, it would be as impossible to get rid off them as anywhere else. Instead, all they have to do is track down any rats that get across provincial borders, none of which are particularly rat-friendly terrain.

[@DomingoDeSantaClara]

People don't understand how big NZ actually is (1600 kms in length) or how much of it is covered in dense bush and forest, its actually a monumental and currently impossible task. The best that can be achieved with current technologies is to control the numbers.

[@lntg]

@@DomingoDeSantaClara Yep, New Zealand is overlooked because we're out in the open and directly compared to the size of Australia. But our land mass is bigger than the entire UK.

[@petermgruhn]

@@DomingoDeSantaClara ikr. I was thinking "oo, you made good progress on this little patch. And that will scale to 2050 just fine? Do you own a map?"

[@matthewbibby8921]

As someone from the uk, I wish there was a similar attitude towards our grey squirrels - I have nothing against them personally, they’re lovely little creatures… But our native Red Squirrels just CAN’T coexist with them, and it sucks that we won’t put the effort in to fix the mistake we made so they can repopulate their own habitat. (For the record I’d love to bring back wolves and the big cats we used to have and stuff as well but the Greys are a more obvious issue)

[@RyanHellyer]

Alberta may not have rats, but they definitely have mice. We found out our house there was infested when the neighbours living in our basement moved out, and suddenly they lost their food source and came up to visit us!

[@PlatinumAltaria]

Mice aren't exactly predators though, so that's not an issue for wildlife.

[@Noah-ws8ho]

Mice are also native to the region. Well, some of them (deer mice), probably not those you get in your house.

[@brianbeidle8520]

Do you know the story behind the lack of rats in Alberta?

[@JohnDlugosz]

@@PlatinumAltaria My mother contracted Hantavirus from a mouse. So, they are an issue for us humans!

[@varana]

@@JohnDlugosz That's not the point of this endeavour, though. It's about restoring native wildlife, not about eliminating risks for humans.

[@MercilessMe]

This is so awesome, this is actively taking control in a good way. Thanks Tom and PFW!

[@ItsMzPhoenix]

My mom and I visited Aotearoa/NZ for 3 weeks after this past Christmas, and one place we visited with major predator control was Ulva Island (a small island close to Rakiura/Stewart Island). They average something like 1 rat a year, and there are numerous poison traps for those that make it onto the island. As a result, it's a nice wildlife sanctuary with a lot of birds that folks can visit and hike a portion of. In Tāhuna/Queenstown, while visiting the Kiwi Birdlife Park, the conservation show presenter actually suggested buying possum fur products from the country, which they acknowledged is a controversial sort of thing. There's a similar business we heard about that uses invasive pine trees for essential oil and lumber, which is cool.

[@dickard8275]

Thanks for saying every location in two languages 😅

[@schrodingerscat3741]

I'm a fan of exploiting invasive species in that manner 🙂 That's something I think we should do with more invasives, like the invasive carp in the US It does come with the risk that the industry will decide to preserve the species for its own interests, but I think that's preventable.

[@johnmead8437]

@@schrodingerscat3741 Hasn't been in NZ. Commercial possum hunters released them up until the 1980s into possum free places, they've released tahr, pigs, minor deer species wallabies etc spreading them significantly. And they make major effort to impede pest control, the skewing and disinformation they use is at least innovative. There are currently more major large pests in NZ than possibly ever excepting initial irruptions, and more hunters. Which says something about the value of hunters for pest control, they are an impediment. Plenty of the "professionals" employed by the likes of DoC & OSPRI are recreational hunting as a retirement occupation also, plenty of places exist where they have failed spectacularly. It is interesting to see the major progress ZIP has achieved away for the impediments DoC delights in imposing.

[@Stephan5150]

Albertan checking in! My understanding is Alberta is not entirely rat free, some of the border cities may still have some smaller populations. In the 90s a friend of a friend had a friend visit from Vancouver with a white pet rat. Within 48 hours there was a knock at their door, folks in hazmat suits had come to collect the "pet" rat. If true, that's some serious anti rat measures eh! Please, please, please come to Alberta to do a rat story!

[@jagdteaguer]

Come to alberta to do a housing story 😂 nothing to see here in regards to rats

[@iowa_don]

I hope they are not forgetting about that domestic predator - cats. People who let their cats roam are killing birds at an alarming rate.

[@wyliem]

The feral cats probably do more damage than the rats do.

[@fraserbrown7502]

Unfortunately they don’t have to be feral to do damage. There is legislation being looked at the moment to allow for trapping of cats in rural areas (currently illegal). They are also looking at a night time curfew which is common in suburbs of Australia but no where is doing it country wide

[@DrPotassium]

On the Otago Peninsula we've done a mighty fine job of removing brushtail possums. The results are highly apparent. So many plant species predated by possums have suddenly bounced back, and bird species are steadily climbing in numbers, even with other predator species like stoats, hedgehogs, magpies, and rats still present. Hopefully we'll get a predator proof fence across the base of the peninsula (although there's a couple of roads which will need to be highly monitored and trapped to stop incursions), and then the city helps to keep pests like stoats at bay also. More funding, people power, and a few years, and we ought to have a pest-free ecosystem that's 91km sq., a massive achievement!

[@dynastygal]

Are you removing humans too? Since we are the biggest pest of all.

[@daviddgm5527]

It's worth it. Macquarie Island eradicated rabbits, rats and mice. Lord Howe Island eradicated rats. Also feral pigs, cats, and goats.

[@TheAlison1456]

4:28 I love them and respect them but unfortunately we cannot coexist based? HAHAAH

[@blackboarpl]

Fun fact: The animal shown at 0:13 is not actually a lizard. It's called a tuatara and it's a rhynchocephalian, the last surviving member in the group.

[@Izegreatone]

More fun facts the baby's have 3 eyes

[@MaleOrderBride]

Thank you!!! Tom is so ignorant!!!

[@artsyscrub3226]

@@MaleOrderBride Not really? Its an easy mistake to make but they are still native animals that need to be protected none of this information is invalid because of a minor mislabeling

[@archiethom6304]

I haven't seen anyone else saying this: I was stunned by your Māori pronunciation. I don't think I've ever heard a non-kiwi KZbinr pronounce that language correctly before; you absolutely nailed them!

[@KahurangiSteez]

He has a degree in linguistics so it actually makes sense, he probably knows more about Maori pronunciation than most kiwis haha

[@archiethom6304]

​@@KahurangiSteez That would definitely help, but I have even seen a few linguistics-teaching KZbinrs not quite get it right!

[@gamesandgoofs]

Recently graduated from a Zoology & Conservation programme and New Zealand's successful native species conservation efforts are taught extensively as case studies. Thank you for covering one of their projects, great video!

[@mindpotato]

i’m from new zealand, i’ve put heaps of these traps down in my local area haha… i thought the whole world did this!!

[@MostlyPennyCat]

By 2050 you'll have one of the following: 1) No Rats 2) Really Smart Rats

[@randomstuffwithcharlie4876]

The amount of Kiwi slang that Tom put up with was amazing you could see he was visibly confused but continued as always

[@TheGlassgubben]

What slang? Her accent is obviously quite noticeable, but I didn't hear any non-standard English words or phrases.

[@shonunezekiel]

I am also interested in what you thought was kiwi slang that an english person would not understand - not here for an argument, just interested in different people's perception of the world.

[@jonmarcmondor]

same

[@Eagle0600]

Sign me up for the "what slang?" newsletter, because I didn't notice any.

[@Lapos.]

While Toms in New Zeeland he can go watch a game of the Wellington paranormal, quite inspiring how the team “came back from the dead” after they had to disband.

[@nihalanand2690]

He should also head to the local museum to check out some Wellington bombers, if they have any. I hear they do cool parachuting exhibitions out of those.

[@Z4Zander]

@@nihalanand2690 Not to mention boots and beef/pastry dishes.

[@swagmanexplores7472]

And visit the famous Wellington boot factory

[@NoName-zn1sb]

Tom's in

[@Z4Zander]

@@swagmanexplores7472 Red Bands are made in China these days.

[@mrgreatbigmoose]

I live in Alberta. You ARE GOING to achieve your goal of a rat-free New Zealand!

[@Smegoff84]

They won't even let people have rats as pets there. Your province sucks and certainly not rat free.

[@jinjotoms296]

They'll still be rats as long as the politicians are around.

[@johnnycarson5146]

Don't doubt for a single moment humanity's unnatural talent for extirpating species from massive swaths of land. Great video, Tom.

[@redeyedmongoose2963]

And introducing them

[@deahy474]

One of the biggest predators are cats but unfortunately the government is unwilling to tackle them

[@chrisharris1522]

And dogs, but I find it interesting that the anti cat people go weak at the knees when you suggest that dogs also like to kill our native birds

[@mantra1229]

Hi Tom, always great to see a small country like ours included in KZbin videos. It makes up for not being included in most dioramas of the world map. One thing that isn't mentioned is that a significant portion of pest control work is done by volunteers around the country. In rural areas some folks are dedicated to creating safe areas for our fauna. I know of a good fellow out in bay of islands who controls a solid 3 km radius around his own house. He also has a selection of fruit trees. The kaka around his area flourish and decimate his fruit trees and he loves it. He is familiar with the birds and they come to visit him while he is having a drink in the evening. There are plenty of other examples like this around the country. Our pest control is not perfect, as a country we are grappling with the conversation of cats and dogs as pets also being pests. In particular the banded dotterels are often under threat from local cats and dogs. But we try. And I think we will get there.

[@colingenge9999]

Would insisting that cats or dogs off leash have bells around their neck help save the birds?

[@mantra1229]

@@colingenge9999 I know from my own experience that cats can and do learn how to move without ringing the bell. I had a cat (15 years ago before I was into ecology) that could move so slowly that her bell never rung, and would then leap 2m into the air and catch the bird in her mouth mid-flight

[@colingenge9999]

@@mantra1229 Thanks for your input. Be nice to find solution that would save NZ birds from both feral and domestic cats the latter apparently still kill 100 million birds in UK each year. Tragic. Seems that feral cats are trapped, opening up the possibility for truly domestic cats to be returned if they had a collar with rego info on it.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

There's something really meaningful to me about how they just keep pulling back the barrier. I admire the level of persistence that such a big undertaking requires; it takes someone who cares a whole awful lot.

[@rebeccagibbs4128]

its also proved very inspiring to other communities across the country. My local area is following suit, we don't have the govt funding yet but there's been dozens of workshops making traps and frequent meet ups and working bees. Already seen a massive amount of Kereru (native wood pigeon) in my area this season compared to previous years

[@marty1780]

There is a small, furry, elephant in the room when it comes to making NZ predator-free: the beloved and very protected house cat!

[@classicambo9781]

Same in Australia. Desperately need legislation requiring domestic animals be restrained on private property. The amount of bleeding hearts on Aboriginal ranger pages when feral cats are trapped out bush is beyond belief, zero comprehension of the damage they cause.

[@sharemyjoys]

Perhaps worth mentioning that the sub Antarctic Macquarie Island (30km long) was cleared off all rabbits around a decade ago, despite it being Australian I think most of the hunters were kiwis

[@FlightlessAviator]

The people, not the bird I assume. ; ) Though it's fun to imagine a team of the flightless brown birds hunting the predators.

[@sharemyjoys]

@@FlightlessAviator haha

[@yeppe9855]

maybe this will gain new zealand the respect to be included on all the maps

[@Aurmm]

Lets hope so

[@Oddigan]

I'll contribute by adding New Zealand to my D&D campaign's world map.

[@snacks1755]

Not if I have anything to say about it.

[@DomingoDeSantaClara]

Nooo, we actually appreciate being left off maps, if no one knows we exist they'll leave us alone!

[@daddymuggle]

In fact not being on maps makes it harder for new invasive species to find us.

[@kopasz777]

Couldn't gene drives be used to make the invasive species infertile? Like how certain species of mosquitoes were eradicated?

[@hi_tech_reptiles]

Here's to the Tuataras and flightless birds. The former one of my favorite animals, hopefully captive breeding goes well. In other examples I worry about protecting animals into extinction, which is more an issue in Africa and South America, but hopefully they can pull it off there in NZ.

[@mehere8038]

Indonesia is a major extinction risk area too! Probably even more than the 2 you mentioned!

[@laurenthomas7074]

This is awesome!!! Love you NZ Aoteoroa! Lots of respect, I hope for the day Australia takes your lead

[@Croz89]

Australian Possum fur products are really common in New Zealand, just because so many are shot as pests. It's not seen as controversial because they're being killed anyway.

[@SamTheEnglishTeacher]

It's a national duty in NZ to go possum hunting. I was shocked to see them romping around a city park in Melbourne & finding out they're a protected species there.

[@AholeAtheist]

We don't swerve to avoid them when driving at night either. We swerve to squash them.

[@catherinekilgour2563]

@@SamTheEnglishTeacher my brother in law used to sit on his deck in Brisbane and hand feed them. I'm sure they know they are protected over there and are friendly animals. The ones in New Zealand not so much.

[@MsSteelphoenix]

Yep! I've got a possum fur hat. Lovely and warm.

[@KainYusanagi]

@@SamTheEnglishTeacher So what you're saying is... It's Weasel Stomping Day? :D

[@rubyma4454]

I remember in a Technology class, we used the entire day to make these box traps, happy to make a difference. These traps hopefully saved some wildlife in my home country.

[@CramcrumBrewbringer]

Saving wildlife by… killing wildlife? You take away predators, the population grows until overpopulation and competition kills other animals. This is cruel.

[@cameron7374]

@@CramcrumBrewbringer You keep the predators, other animals get killed too. This time it is all of them. They are now extinct.

[@rparl]

I've seen a couple of dissension trolls in this post. They make spurious arguments and encourage giving up.

[@wrakowic]

@@cameron7374 that's too much thinking for that braindead commenter, stop it! you will hurt him!

[@wrakowic]

That's a very cool activity. Learn some hand skills and help a good thing! Whoever came up with this was great.

[@MegaCalypto]

I am feeling so much pride for my country right now. Thanks for bringing this to your international audience!

[@dravenpay3558]

Yes same

[@jaredmonk8962]

How good has this NZ series been! I'm stoked to see Tom's stories of our own backyard!

[@rufusgreenleaf2466]

Tell me if i'm wrong but everyone in these New Zealand videos seem to love what they are doing and it makes for a really chilled country. It makes me want to go there some day.

[@T.R.W-creations]

Same here

[@andezbox]

Why. Current Pfnz franchise was stollen off the original group. Current version has nowhere near enough funding to make Pfnz predator free . Read duped by Les Kelly the spokesperson and 1 of the original founding members of Pfnz.

[@mattkk3726]

We should apply that to humans too. We also have invasive ones

[@jackpage2]

New Zealander here - great pronunciation Tom ! 8:52 👌👌

[@tristoms0971]

as a New Zealander I can confirm that these traps are almost everywhere, there are on average at least 50 to 100 traps hidden per square kilometer and I have had old friends who got their hands caught in them, not fun stuff when you are being stupid and reaching your hands in them and stuff however they seem to work at reducing the total amount of pests around. 🥝kiwi 🥝

[@tristanridley1601]

I'm going to remember this story the next time I have to explain to someone why "idiot proof" is just not physically possible.

[@morganw2492]

Why are they putting their hands in random boxes?

[@jonathanwright5550]

Cool yarn but that's defo an exaggeration

[@DeathClawz]

@@morganw2492 for some candy wax to chew on obviously

[@toamatau8785]

​@@jonathanwright5550 are you from New Zealand

[@tornagawn]

I am fortunate to live on the Purerua Peninsula in Northland. There is a relatively narrow isthmus and intensive pest control has now given us the highest concentration of Kiwi anywhere on earth. I’ve had them come up to our deck, we frequently see them at night and hear them every night.

[@stkk7186]

I contributed to it on my vacation to NZ when I hit a possum with 70kph.

[@eTiMaGo]

I love the very DIY approach to the traps and monitoring, really clever!

[@Z4Zander]

Thank #8 wire technology.

[@simonteesdale9752]

It means that volunteers can easily make and maintain them. We put together about 30 in 2 hours for a scout night a couple of years ago.

[@Junebug89]

Kiwi ingenuity at it's best.

[@eTiMaGo]

@@simonteesdale9752 and I bet there's not a huge budget either!

[@RickReasonnz]

I liked how they were also made safe for passersbys and pets.

[@Ngtef]

As a Kiwi, I'm so glad to see our little part of the world being included here. I hope Tom recorded this vid before the cyclone and didn't get stuck here. Very heartwarming video.

[@AsioEntomo]

Absolutely love seeing wildlife and biology videos from you, Tom. I work in wildlife conservation, and this project is incredible. Maybe I'll have to take a working holiday to NZ sometime...

[@rebeccagibbs4128]

you should! its a magical place for someone with a heart for wildlife x

[@boudreauxbroletariat3959]

So cool to see the bay by the airport, it hasn't changed much by the looks of it since the '90s. Frighteners, Heavenly Creatures, Meet the Feebles were all filmed on those beaches by the airport.

[@dylansylvester4719]

All of the parts of the ecosystem that mammals would fill instead went to birds, lizards, or insects. And the tuatara. Which looks like a lizard but isn't a lizard.

[@rubidot]

I'm impressed that it only took six months to clear that bit of the peninsula.