Possum control works

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 8, Issue 369, 15 January 1991, Page 3

Possum control works

Results of a survey of the succcss of a control programme have shown that last year possum populations in the Taihape, Waiouru, Tangiwai, Karioi and Whangaehu Valley have been reduced by sixty five pcr cent. "This is a very pleasing result," says Malcolm Adsett, Supervisor of pcst dcstruction for the Manawatu -Wanganui Rcgional Council in Taihape. Initially there was an aerial drop of 1080 pellets covering 450 hcctarcs in the Waiouru arca. This was followcd by several thousand acres being covered on land. The drop in population has occurrcd despite dclays in the programme due to unsuitable weather conditions. Calculation of the success of a programme is

calculated by bait stations being placed in Turnpage 5

Possum control success

From page 3 strategic positions throughout the targeted arca with another control station outsidc of the arca. The amount of bait takcn bcfore the programmc's initiation is recordcd and compared with that taken aftcrwards. Comparisons of thcse rcsults indicatcd the drop in population. "It's a very conservative cstimatc bccause thcrc were dclays in our monitoring of the bait stations due to bad weather conditions. I bclicve the figure would bc higher had we been able to follow the results of the bait stations more closely." The population of possum taking bait from the control station outside the targeted area remained consistent. This indicates that the poisoning programme was the cause of the drop in the possum population and that other factors were not involved. A proposal for a programme covering forty kilometres down the Rangitikei River is currently under consideration.