Predator Free BOP co-ordinator Luke Judd. Photo / Andrew Warner
Predator Free BOP co-ordinator Luke Judd. Photo / Andrew Warner
Those struggling with pests on their property will have a new place to turn to next month, with a new service to borrow free traps from set to open.
Predator Free BOP and Predator Free Waihi Beach are opening two new "trap libraries" in Tauranga and Waihi Beach on October 3.
The libraries will have traps for stoats, weasels, hedgehogs, possums, and live capture traps for feral cats, which an expert says can be outside many people's budgets.
Traps can be borrowed for three months or until they are not needed any more. Instructions will be given about safe use when the trap is taken out. Predator Free already offers free rat traps through their website.
Predator-Free BOP co-ordinator Luke Judd said the trap library would help manage the wide variety of pests that threaten wildlife beyond just rats.
"There are a lot of properties that are dealing with non-rodent pests, and they can't afford necessarily to buy one of these very expensive traps for the possibility of maybe killing this one pest.
"A lot of people will either just ignore it until it goes away, or just sort of live with it."
Predator Free BOP co-ordinator Luke Judd. Photo / Andrew Warner
They were inspired to start a trap library by Debra Jager, who started one in Whakamārama two years ago.
"People usually only need the trap until the problem is gone, and then they don't need to use it for quite some time, so something like a library is a perfect facility for them to be able to deal with the problem."
Judd said pests are a huge problem in the region.
"We have such rich soil ... there's so many orchards, plantations, and that is heaven for these pests. All that fruit, all the avocado - it's a very easy place for them to live.
"Not only are they sort of destroying people's livings, it's also a perfect place for them to breed, so then it's going to be an extremely hard place for all the birds to live."
Also threatened are insects and vegetation, which are the birds' food and habitat.
"It's a silent killer because a lot of this stuff happens at night-time ... someone that's in an urban area that doesn't have a lot of trees or a vege garden won't notice the difference. But ... the rats are running all through."
For those who might struggle with a kill trap, Judd recommended asking a neighbour or a family member for help unloading the traps, and to understand the importance of eradicating pests.
"The kill traps are the most ethical way to kill these animals, because they are designed and they have been proven to be killing them ethically, in the most painless and quickest way possible."
"The time to take action is now. We can't really afford to turn a blind eye any more."
Jager said her area is rich with animals and avocado orchards, as well as woodpiles, that bring in predators.
Department of Conservation Tauranga district Predator-Free 2050 ranger Nataalia Lunson said native species in the Bay were in "serious trouble".
"Introduced predators are one of the main threats to their survival. Some of our native species would go extinct in just two human generations without predator control."
Lunson said stoats, not rats, were the No.1 predator of native species in New Zealand.
"Present in the BOP are our native skink, gecko and the Hochstetter's frog, they are specifically vulnerable to rat predation.
"Our BOP coastline is home to many rare migrating shore birds, the little blue penguin and other ground-nesting birds such as our nationally threatened Australian bittern/matuku and New Zealand dotterel/tūturiwhatu."
Lunson said beach towns face unique trapping and predator challenges because they attract "holiday pets that can quickly exhibit pest behaviours".
Nataalia Lunson, the Department of Conservation's Tauranga local district Predator-Free 2050 ranger. Photo / Talia Parker
"Dogs and cats are a huge threat to our native protected species. Our beloved sand dunes and coastal wetlands have unique flora and fauna ecosystems, which provide shelter and feeding habitats for many of our threatened species.
"Respecting that trapping needs to occur in these areas is essential. It is up to pet owners to respect these no-go zones and trapping areas."
Lunson said DoC "recommends the use of traps that have passed the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC) testing guidelines. We do not condone trapping that causes any animal to be in unreasonable or unnecessary pain or distress".
"We've proven in many parts of the country that when we remove or manage predators, nature comes back. Even individual actions help nature. If we all play a part in support of this common cause, the difference will be even greater, more visible, and lasting."
Bay Conservation Alliance chief executive Michelle Elborn said the Bay had a high number of pests to contend with.
"You cannot do pest control for a year and walk away or the pests quickly reinvade, so successful pest control, whether in natural environments or urban areas, achieves the best results with ongoing effort."
She said pest trapping was a hugely important part of conservation efforts.
"All pests have an impact and the more we can remove, the more our native birds will flourish.
"The reward comes when you start to see new or increased numbers of species in your garden, local park or suburb. The way to be more effective is if we all play our part and this is where backyard trapping is so powerful.
"Not trapping means the pests have the ability to keep growing their populations, and as they increased in numbers this has a devastating effect on our native species ... this is why the trap library is an awesome opportunity to help get traps out across the community."
