21 June 2017

World’s largest rat trapping network completed by community

Members of the Taranaki community have come together to complete the world’s largest ever network of self-resetting rat traps as part of a trapping training day on the Mounga.

The trapping training day on 20 June was organised by environmental restoration project Taranaki Mounga. Thirty traps were installed to complete the network of 2,160 traps over 1,000ha on the mountain. It is the largest area of the rat traps ever deployed and was set-up to protect 50 toutouwai/robin which were recently released on Mt Taranaki after a 110 year absence.

Project Director for Taranaki Mounga, Jan Hania, says the trapping training day provided an opportunity for the community to upskill and learn about this trap in the field and hear more about conservation issues on the Mounga.

“We welcome every opportunity to work alongside our partners, iwi and community groups in the best interests of the Mounga and this event raises awareness and understanding of what we do. It’s about caring for and protecting our Mounga,” he says

Goodnature A24 rat traps reset themselves and can kill up to 24 times, coupled with an automatic lure dispenser they reduce the amount of time traps have to be checked and re-baited.

DOC Senior Biodiversity Ranger Emily King says it’s important to utilise these types of activities to encourage people to get more involved in the conservation space.

“The community trapping training day will give the public the chance to learn how to set up the A24 traps on Mt Taranaki, giving them a practical, hands on learning experience. We want to upskill and empower our community to keep doing great work and showcase effective ways of achieving our shared goals,” she says.

The trapping day follows on from a Predator Control workshop run by Wild for Taranaki and Predator Free NZ.

ENDS

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