Cam Speedy has over 40 years of experience in predator control.
Cam Speedy has over 40 years of experience in predator control.
Trapping predators is a top priority to help protect the native species and treasures in the Taupō region.
Predator Free New Zealand Trust and Project Tongariro are teaming up with wildlife biologist Cam Speedy, to host a free event in Taupō on mastering effective predator control, and creating safe spaces for wildlife in backyards and reserves.
Speedy, who has more than 40 years experience in the field, told Taupō & Tūrangi Herald trapping pests was an “art form” and like all art, it required “knowledge and experience” to help make a difference.
Understanding animal behaviour was significant when trapping pests, and was something he hoped to share at the event. He said it was about “refreshing your tool kit” with “knowledge being the greatest tool of all”.
It wasn’t about just putting a trap in the bush and crossing your fingers. It was about “connecting with the environment, the target animal you’re trying to remove, and the treasures you’re protecting”.
One message he relays at his workshops, having done 28 nationwide with the trust so far, is that “80% of pest encounters with a device don’t result in an interaction with that device”.
Cam Speedy said predator control is about connecting with the environment, the target animal you’re trying to remove, and the treasures you’re protecting.
“You have to put that animal at the centre of your thinking ... how they behave in the bush and how we can use that knowledge to trap them.
“If you can do that, you can catch a lot of pests. Pests are very cautious by nature and if people understand their behaviour, caution, and how to get around that natural caution, then pest trapping can be improved.”
Speedy said Taupō conservation and community groups were doing good predator control work to protect wildlife.
“There’s a 60km trapline in the Kaimanawa’s protecting species like kiwi, blue ducks, kākā. You can walk along the Tongariro River and actually see blue ducks there all the time.
“I’m proud of the community, without their predator control we would lose all those things that make this region so special.”
Taupō was in a good place for predator control, and Speedy said everyone was still learning and trying to get better.
He said the trust wanted to put all the information into “one basket of knowledge” to help people improve their trapping outcomes.
“After the event, people will look at their trapline through a different lens and that will be seeing it from the perspective of the animal they’re trying to remove.”
Trust chief executive Jessi Morgan said working with Speedy and sharing knowledge “will get us much closer to the goal” of being predator-free by 2050.
“Whether you’re struggling to catch as many rats as you used to or you’re thinking about expanding trapping efforts, he has practical advice and his enthusiasm is infectious,” she said.
“As Cam puts it, he can turn anyone from a “trap checker to a predator-hunting ninja”.
She said “huge” projects are under way to eradicate pests such as rats and possums, but protecting native species isn’t just about remote national parks or expert-led efforts.
She said wildlife is right in our towns, suburbs, parks, reserves, and farms.
“It’s up to everyday people to help protect and restore it, which means getting behind the Predator Free NZ 2050 goal and trapping rats, stoats and possums where we live, work and play.”
The event takes place on December 9, at the Wairakei Golf and Sanctuary, in Taupō.
Malisha Kumar is a multimedia journalist based in Hamilton. She joined the Waikato Herald in 2023 after working for Radio 1XX in Whakatāne.
