One of the young sniffer dogs helping eradicate possums in Māhia after going through two years of training in Taranaki to become certified by the Department of Conservation. Photo / Supplied
One of the young sniffer dogs helping eradicate possums in Māhia after going through two years of training in Taranaki to become certified by the Department of Conservation. Photo / Supplied
Sniffer dogs have been brought into Māhia, but they're searching for possums rather than drugs.
Over a recent three-week period scat dogs and their handlers searched over 5000 hectares on the Māhia Peninsula as part of the next step in pest eradication project Whakatipu Māhia.
The dogs were brought on to the project to find any possum poo left in the area, and help lead rangers to any remaining possums.
Hawke's Bay Regional Council catchment services manager Campbell Leckie said using sniffer dogs is another way the project is using innovation to reach its goal.
The predator-free Whakatipu Māhia project is the first time possum eradication across 14,600ha of farmland has been attempted, and was started in 2018.
By June 30, the team aim to have completed possum eradication across the entire peninsula.
Since the project began, a combination of an intensive bait station network, targeted live capture trapping, and intensive monitoring with motion sensitive cameras and thermal imaging has been used.
"Business as usual will not get us collectively to predator free," Leckie said.
"We are incredibly proud of what we've already achieved in Māhia with the support of the community as one of the largest farmland possum eradication projects currently under way in New Zealand."
The team first lowered possum numbers in certain areas, through a closely-monitored network of bait stations, motion sensitive cameras and wireless monitored traps.
Max, left, and Andrea from Hoegh Hunting, with their possum dogs Peggy, Goose, Jepto, Frankie and Heidi and dog handler Michael Blanks. Photo / Supplied
Leckie said the dogs used in this project have been through more than two years of training to become certified by the Department of Conservation and are based in Taranaki.
"This is the first time we've used them and we're stoked with the results."
Whakatipu Māhia are looking into re-deploying the sniffer dog across other parts of the peninsula.
After their recent efforts, the dogs are now on holiday, and will be back in April to cover the remaining 9000ha, to finish off the "hunt down" phase.
After the "hunt down" phase, there will be layers of predator devices such as traps, cameras, and bait stations put in place to prevent possums getting from Hawke's Bay past the neck of land that leads on to Māhia Peninsula.
"They are a really important tool in the predator-free fight, especially at the end of a project where you're tying to confirm that there are no possums left."
Whakatipu Māhia is one of three biodiversity restorations in the Predator Free Hawke's Bay project and are reducing pests one predator at a time to bring native species back into communities.
Whakatipu Māhia focuses on possum eradication, controlling mustelids – weasels, stoats and ferrets – and feral cats, and research, as well as iwi and community environment.
