School kids take on the possums
In February 2015, as part of a maths project, the students of Elsthorpe School set up some possum traps in the area to see what…
A Different Kind of Dark Knight
Auckland Council biodiversity officer Ben Paris, aka NZ Batman, is on a mission; not to save Gotham by defeating criminal masterminds, but to protect our…
Ratatouille: Birkenhead’s Urban Rat Blitz
The suburb of Birkenhead sits on Auckland’s North Shore, with views across the Waitemata Harbour, thriving bush reserves, a bustling shopping village, and it’s just…
Pestbusters: Bringing Back the Birdsong to Otatara
A few years ago Otatara resident Russell Evans underwent a heart bypass. While at home recuperating from the surgery, the bird sanctuary owner gazed out…
A way forward for community led conservation by Julian Fitter
Maketu Ongatoro Wetland Society (MOWS) was started in 2009 to help look after the colony of New Zealand Dotterel on Maketu Spit. This then quickly…
Don’t get mad, get trapping
It could be a Tom Cruise blockbuster: one man leads an army into battle against thousands of relentless predators. However, it’s not a movie (yet)…
Caught in a Trap: Halo Takes on Wellington’s Predators
Ever heard a possum lurking outside your bedroom window in the middle of the night, breathing heavily, or a rat’s tiny feet scuttling across the…
Going Native — Third Island rat catching with Goodnature by Paul Stanley Ward
I got a text from my mate Robbie, “Wanna come down Rakiura-Stewart Island and check some traps?” I’d never been to the ‘Third Island’, and…
To Trap a Stoat: A Great Day Out in the Hills
By the eighth coffee and umpteenth chocolate chip biscuit I was feeling a little jumpy, and seriously doubting that we would ever leave base. Regular…
