Predator Free NZ

Research

Video camera study reveals rare birds in ruru diet

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The ruru (morepork) is a predator – but it’s certainly not on the ‘predator-free’ hit list. Those slots are just for introduced mammal predators which haven’t co-evolved with our vulnerable native species. Ruru do prey on other native wildlife however, including endangered species, as a recent study … [Read more...] about Video camera study reveals rare birds in ruru diet

Kaikoura red-billed gull study reveals predator impacts over 52 years

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If you park up at the beach with a feed of fish and chips it can seem like red-billed gulls are common and thriving. But 52 years’ worth of observations and monitoring data from New Zealand’s biggest gull breeding colony on the Kaikoura Peninsula tells a somewhat different story. Mammal predators … [Read more...] about Kaikoura red-billed gull study reveals predator impacts over 52 years

Would summer eradication of rodents work for Auckland Island?

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Approximately one-third of New Zealand’s islands are now free of all invasive mammals. Could Auckland Island be next? Predator control and eradication operations are often carried out in winter – when predators are hungry and uptake of bait likely to be greater. But when it comes to … [Read more...] about Would summer eradication of rodents work for Auckland Island?

Future conservation role possible for urban lizard gardens

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City dwellers and urban lizard gardens could play a significant role in future skink and gecko conservation in New Zealand, according to research just published in the journal Landscape and Urban Planning. Turning part of your garden into some desirable reptile real estate could really make a … [Read more...] about Future conservation role possible for urban lizard gardens

Video logger films at-sea foraging of yellow-eyed penguin

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A male yellow-eyed penguin from Boulder Beach on the Otago Peninsula, recently became a video star for researchers Thomas Mattern, Michael McPherson, Ursula Ellenberg, Yolanda van Heezik and Philipp Seddon, who were investigating the use of high definition video loggers to study marine wildlife. … [Read more...] about Video logger films at-sea foraging of yellow-eyed penguin

Dual 1080 application could be key to possum and rat eradication

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Dual 1080 operations - would two toxin applications a few weeks apart work better than one? Possibly, if a few other conditions are also met. Currently, aerial 1080 drops are used to control introduced predators, but not expected to totally eliminate them. Aerial 1080 application is used to knock … [Read more...] about Dual 1080 application could be key to possum and rat eradication

DOC and volunteers count kiwi on Tiritiri Matangi

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The little spotted kiwi (Apteryx owenii) was probably the most common kiwi species in Aotearoa/New Zealand in the mid-1800s. Now it's our second rarest kiwi of the 5 kiwi species. Numbers plummeted last century and it had almost disappeared from the mainland by the mid-1900s. Then 5 birds were … [Read more...] about DOC and volunteers count kiwi on Tiritiri Matangi

New toxin combination tested for rats and possums

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Up until the 1950s, most pest control toxins for vertebrates, including rats, were fast-acting. While a quick death for pests is a good thing humane-wise, the issue was, rats didn’t necessarily die. They’d try a little toxin, quickly feel the effects and sensibly refuse to have anything more to do … [Read more...] about New toxin combination tested for rats and possums