New toxin combination tested for rats and possums
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,…
Bushy Point volunteers hold Triple Celebration
Otatara Landcare Group (OLG) in Southland has just celebrated its 20th year and two other impressive milestones: OLG’s total volunteer effort has reached 15,000 volunteer…
Road hazards for wildlife more than just a collision risk
When you think about roads and wildlife, the first thought that springs to mind is a collision with fatal consequences. But roads can impact wildlife…
Saving mohua motivates Makarora Valley trappers
Ian Turnbull’s father was a member of the Central Otago Lakes Branch of Forest and Bird back in 1998 when the group first began trapping…
Citizen science monitoring method outlined and tested
Monitoring wildlife population densities in our ‘mainland island’ fenced sanctuaries is an important part of measuring sanctuary success and assessing the longterm costs and benefits…
MIRO helps out overlooked banded dotterels
For the last 20 years or so, an area of gravel has been slowly forming at Robinson Bay on the Eastbourne foreshore, just across the…
Hibernation or torpor? Understanding our weird and wonderful bats
Let’s be honest – New Zealand’s wildlife is weird. There are alpine weta that can freeze and thaw, kiwi with their amazing sense of smell…
Biodiversity strategy discussion document
The NZ Biodiversity Strategy is an important document that sets out the framework for how we protect our biodiversity and ensure it thrives over the…
EnviroMate100 bait station delivers time-controlled ‘dinner dishes’
Shane Hyde of Kaeo (Whangarei) left school at 16 and spent years working on predator control and weed control projects, but ill health in 2006,…
Gene editing for pest control
Should we be using gene editing in New Zealand for predator control? How and where might it be used? What is even possible? The Royal…
Patoka dairy farmers enjoy benefits of predator control
Dairy farmers, Nick and Nicky Dawson from Patoka, near Hastings, have been going hard out with predator control in the last four years or so.…
Can feral cats limit rats?
When scientists studying the dynamics of a Norway rat colony in New York had some wild cats moved in on the experiment, they took the…
Possum numbers surprise Canterbury farming family
Duncan and Tina Mackintosh farm White Rock Mains, near Rangiora in North Canterbury – a 1056 hectare property brought by Duncan’s great-grandfather back in 1909.…
Cats vs Rats (and the big ones that get away)
‘Giant rats’ in our cities have hit the media headlines in recent weeks and, while ‘rats as big as cats’ are unlikely to be stalking…
Lynmore School raises awareness of trapping
Lynmore School, in Rotorua, received funding as part of our Kiwibank School programme. Students from Room 1A provided us an update of what they have…
