Ruthless predators in the sights

The frontline on Mauao is holding out against one of the most ferocious and voracious of predators. Just as the cavalry is arriving from Wellington.

Apart from all of the rats, two weasels and a stoat have also been trapped in the last month.


Western Bay Wildlife Trust chairperson Julia Graham at the trap line.

'Which is quite a high number,” according to Western Bay Wildlife Trust chairperson Julia Graham.

That's more than the mustelid cull for an entire year.

'It's comforting because it would suggest the frontline is working,” says Julia.

The ‘frontline' being the first line of defence, a trap line, protecting the delicate ecosystem of Mauao…the grey-faced petrels and the little blue penguins from predators.

But worrying because it tells Julia there is quite a large mustelid problem in the district. Mustelids are the family of carnivorous mammals including weasels, stoats and ferrets.

They were introduced to New Zealand in the 1880s to control rabbits and hares. But they have become pests in their own right. And a real threat to wildlife on Mauao. And now it seems the stoats and weasels are becoming urbanised.

'They are living amongst the houses and people,” says Julia. 'It's something we will have to look at, possibly extending the range of our pest control to cover more of the residential area.

'But if the food runs out around their present habitat, the stoats and weasels will look further afield.”

And maybe only as far as Mauao and Motuotau (Rabbit) Island.

'The breeding season for the birds is coming up and the mustelids are aware of that. They can also see and hear food on Mauao; the rabbits, a favourite food source for them.”

And if they can't catch the rabbits, they will go after the petrels and penguins instead.

'It is a worry.”

But first they have to penetrate the frontline – the trap line of possum traps, mustelid traps and rodents bait stations running between the Mount Main Beach and Pilot Bay just back from the motor camp.

It's a problem not lost on the Government. Just this week it committed to shoring up the front line. In fact, it's a full-on Mount Main Beach offensive.

'Rats, possums and stoats kill 25 million native birds every year,” says Prime Minister John Key. 'We must do more to protect them.”

So the Government has set a target of 2050 for New Zealand to be pest-free. That means rats, possums, stoats, weasels gone!

To do this, the government has injected $28 million and set up a crown entity to ensure eradication of all pests that threaten New Zealand's native birds.

By the Prime Minister's own admission: 'It's the most ambitious conservation project attempted anywhere in the world”.

Meanwhile, a warm winter is conspiring against the conservationists of the Western Bay Wildlife Trust.

'It means it's harder and harder to control the mustelids,” says Julia.

Most mustelid reproduction involves something called embryonic diapause – gestation is delayed for favourable environmental conditions.

'But when you have a mild winter it means more rats, more rabbits, more plants, more food for the mustelids, and so they breed prolifically.”

The forces are gathering but the battle is far from won.

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3 comments

offer a bounty

Posted on 31-07-2016 09:17 | By flyingtoaster

Seems to me that, a bounty on the dead critters, would go a lot further toward eradication. Being realistic, there is no way these pests will be totally eradicated by 2050 not even by 2080.


Cats?

Posted on 31-07-2016 09:31 | By flyingtoaster

"All pests that threaten our native birds" clearly includes cats. The public, in the main, will not stand for this. SPCA's policy for wild cats , is to catch, de-sex and return to the wild. Eradicating cats is totally unrealistic, and nothing more than a waste of taxpayer $$.


stupid and reckless

Posted on 31-07-2016 10:38 | By Captain Sensible

A few years ago I saw and had heated words with a woman releasing her pet weasel or stoat ( I don't know the difference) on the Mount. It's hard to believe but there are people stupid and reckless enough to sabotage the Mount because this pet was no longer wanted and she didn't want to kill it. So, let it go on the Mount of course!!


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