20
MAY 2019
I’LLADMITI’vebeenembarrassingly
complacenttoNewZealand’spredator
problem,andit’salltooeasytodo.
WhileI desperatelywishtoseeour
forestsrejuvenated,andI applaudthe
effortsofKiwiconservationistsdoing
theirbit,I’mmoreofa sidelinesup-
porter.
I packoutwhatI packin,neverlitter,
andevenkilltheoddpest,butI can’t
hand-on-heartsayI’mmakinga differ-
ence,andI’vedecidedit’stimetogetmy
handsdirty.
Beinga practicalromantic,andhav-
ingspieda fewtoomanyratsrustling
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and bought her the gift that keeps on
giving – a tunnel trap.
With no trapping experience, I turned
to the experts to get the lowdown.
Predator Free NZ Trust project man-
ager Jessi Morgan says backyard trap-
ping is a “gateway drug” to pest control
and a great introduction to the growing
predator-free movement.
“The best place for people to start is
in their own backyards,” she says. “It’s
really easy, and once you’ve set a trap,
you walk past it every day. You don’t
have to drive for an hour and then walk
another half hour down a track to check
a trapline.”
Morgan says it’s hard to know how
many Kiwis are doing their bit in their
backyards, but claims there has been an
increase, thanks to the mainstreaming of
the predator-free movement.
In Wellington, there isn’t one suburb
that isn’t involved in a trapping op-
eration, and other urban centres are
answering the call to arms.
“There has been a real change in men-
tality,” she says. “We used to only deal
with rats when they were in our ceilings
or walls, but people have realised if they
trap in their garden before they come in,
it’s much easier.“Thereisa realriskofpeopleassum-
ingtheagencieswilldothisforus,but
there’sa hugeneedforpeopleonthe
grounddoingtheirbit,”
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tion– discoveringwhichspeciesvisit
yourbackyard,andwheretrapswill
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Baitedchewcards,whichidentify
pestsbytheirbitemarks,area cheap
andsimplemethod,butinktunnelsare
anotherpopularsolution.
ê,I \RXSXWĆYHFKHZFDUGVDURXQGWKH
JDUGHQ\RXPLJKWĆQGMXVWRQHRIWKHP
has lots of activity, and this will likely be
the best place to put your trap,” Morgan
says.
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a suitable trap can be laid. But a few
considerations are worth noting.
“We recommend only humane traps
that we know will work and kill only the
target species with minimal distress,”
Morgan says.
Fast kill mechanisms are key, but even
with the best gear, no trap is foolproof
and trappers may have to put an injured
pest out of its misery.
“Most people don’t want to do it, but
it’s your duty to dispose of it quickly,”
Morgan says.
A “quick whack over the head” is the
recommended solution, and buying traps
approved as humane by the National
Animal Welfare Advisory Committee
is advised.
Placement is another important
consideration, as traps can be harmful
to non-target species such as pets,
native birds or children.
Tunnel traps are a common method to
ensure only targeted species are caught.
Making your home and garden less ap-
pealing for pests helps to deter them in
WKHĆUVWLQVWDQFHDQGHQVXUHWKH\DUHQèWso spoiled for choice if they do visit that
they ignore your trap bait.
Reducing access to chicken feed and
compost, and picking up rotting fruit
on the ground are good precautionary
measures.
Morgan says it can be hard to stay
motivated when catch rates slow down,
but it’s important to keep traps set and
baited in case of pest recolonisation.
“When you’re not catching anything,
you need to think of it as a really posi-
tive sign, not as a failure,” she says.
Involving yourself in wider com-
munity groups can also help backyard
trappers stay on track, TrapNZ’s Daniel
Bar-Even says.
“It’s a motivating factor if you feel like
you’re part of a bigger picture, and not
just doing something on your own, not
making an impact.”
“If you’re by yourself, you won’t know
what’s going on around you, and you
PLJKWQRWEHFRQWULEXWLQJHIĆFLHQWO\ë
As I write, my partner’s trapping suc-
cess rate is a bittersweet 100 per cent.
Four nights, four rodents. While the
experience of scraping bloody rat car-
casses out of the trap might not be my
biggest romantic gesture, I’m playing
the long game. Maybe next year, she’ll
get a backyard full of birds.Tiredofstandingontheside-
linesofpestcontrol,Matthew
CattinĆQGVRXWKRZWR VWDUW
thechangeathomeWILD CONSERVATION
Beginning
THE
BACKYARD
BATTLE
Backyard
trapping
can mean
getting your
hands dirtyMATTHEW CATTIN“WHEN YOU’RE NOT
CATCHING ANYTHING,
YOU NEED
TO THINK OF IT
AS A POSITIVE SIGN,
NOT AS A FAILURE.”