August Trapper of the month
Acknowledging the great work being done by landowners in our rohe. Trappers of the Month for August are Chris and Wendy from Pakiri for their consistent and frequent trap checks, which have produced amazing results in just a few months.
A trail cam is now on its way to Chris and Wendy to use at their property for a month. We caught up with Wendy to find out why she and Chris decided to start trapping on their property.
“The thought of kiwi in our backyard as a real possibility was the catalyst for us to start trapping,” explained Wendy. “This motivated us to get in touch with the Forest Bridge Trust and make a real effort to try and get rid of the possums and rats. We are lucky enough to also have Bittern, which we have seen on several occasions very close to our property, and we wanted to try and get rid of predators for their sake too. We had tried intermittently with the original Timms traps, with very limited success. We have found the Flipping Timmy traps, which were supplied by TFBT, so much more effective and a lot easier to use. Tips about what baits to use and preparing the sites with a mix of flour, sugar, and cinnamon have been really helpful. We’ve caught 28 possums on our 2-hectare block and almost the same number of rats in just over 3 months.”
The decision to start trapping took some consideration. “We hate killing animals,” says Wendy. “Chris is the one who has to empty the traps and dispose of the bodies. We had pet possums as children, and they are actually very cool animals, but unfortunately very destructive. It has been interesting seeing the two different types of rats we have and finding out how trap-shy they become. Killing any living thing is very unpleasant, but for the sake of our endangered animals, it needs to be done, and the more people step up and take responsibility for doing this, the better outcomes we will have.”
Monitoring their traps hasn’t been a problem on the property. “Our traps are all very accessible and can be seen from the driveway, so it is very easy to check them each day, empty, and rebait them.”
Wendy and Chris appreciated the help and advice that The Forest Bridge Trust was able to give them when they first started to think about setting up predator control measures. “If you are considering trapping or getting serious about making an impact, get in touch with Forest Bridge Trust and use their expertise to get you going,” recommends Wendy. “If we all work together and don’t give up, who knows, maybe we can be predator-free in 2050.”
Interview by Helen Jamieson, Community Liaison.