Predator Trapping workshop - Trap Lines and Trap Types

I applied for a grant to Tairāwhiti Enviroschools and Eastland Port so our school could purchase Goodnature's A24 and A12 traps. As part of receiving the money, I agreed to attend a trapping workshop.

As my class have done quite a lot of study around different types of traps, a lot of the information around the traps was not new but it's still quite fascinating. It was also interesting hearing about the traps that are set in our reserves.

The Norway rat has a short, thick tail which is shorter than its body and it has small ears. The ship rat has bigger ears and a tail that’s longer than its body. The ship rat is the biggest threat to wildlife because it’s a good climber and can reach nests in trees. The Norway rat is big enough to attack seabirds, but it’s not a tree-climber and can only attack wildlife that lives or nests close to the ground. Kiore, our native rat, are not thought to be around Gisborne and are more commonly found on the outer islands. We think we are catching Norway rats at school. Tonight, I learnt that one variety of rat likes bacon so it's a great lure but I can't remember whether it was the Norway or ship rat! We have always used peanut butter.

Stoats were introduced to New Zealand in 1884 to control rabbits and hares. Scientists and bird-lovers warned that they would be a danger to our native birds, but their warnings were ignored. Of course, the stoats worked out very quickly that it was much easier to catch a kiwi or other native ground nesting birds than chase after a rabbit or hare. A big problem with stoats is the size of their families. A mother stoat can have up to 12 babies at a time, but usually has 4-6 babies. A female stoat can get pregnant when she is still a blind, deaf, toothless baby – at only 2-3 weeks old. Even though she is pregnant, her babies won’t grow inside her until she is an adult. They will be born the following spring. If there is not enough food around, the pregnant female can delay the birth of her babies until more food is available.

The Trapinator is a simple and effective way of trapping possums. It is an all-in-one spring-set kill mechanism in a plastic box and is mounted by screws onto trees, 1 m above the ground. You could also use the leg hold trap or Goodnature's A12.

Some people at the workshop were interested in live trapping. The purpose of this is to ensure you are not killing antibody's pet. The Dog Control Officer will come and get any wild cat you catch in your live trap We were unsure if they would take away a possum.

You can hire a variety of traps at the Tairāwhiti Environment Centre.