Tracking tunnels reveal secrets of animal pests in gardens

Forest and Bird, Issue 302, 1 November 2001, Page 36

Tracking tunnels reveal secrets of animal pests in gardens

and

WARREN AGNEV

CLAIRE JEWELL

Protection of New Zealand’s natural heritage should start in our own backyards, say

hether your backyard is a small urban property, a lifestyle holding, or large rural property with patches of native bush, predator control is a keystone in any restoration programme. To find out what animals are lurking, we have developed a tracking tunnel which reveals pests not normally seen, giving an impetus for control programmes. Introduced animal predators, such as stoats, ferrets and rats, prevent the regeneration of native trees, destroy insects and lizards, and eat birds and their eggs and fledglings in the nest. In particular, the stoat poses the greatest threat to New Zealand’s birds. It is quite possible that if stoat numbers are not significantly reduced, many of New Zealand’s native birds will be lost from the mainland within the next 50 years. There is a need to establish the extent of the stoat problem so that appropriate control programmes can be designed and implemented. Warren Agnew first became aware of the problem following the sighting of a stoat near to a grey warbler nest that children at his school were studying: "The children had built a very nice hide that held two seats and was placed about six metres from the nest. The first day the children sat in the hide a stoat came near to them. They chased it away with the vigour of youth. The next morning soon after the children went to the hide a stoat appeared again. And again it was chased. Over the weekend the nest was predated, This ultimately led to Warren putting a proposal to the Department of Conservation to encourage the children of New Zealand to participate in an environmental science programme, which he called

‘Find Out. The Find Out programme was initially provided with $30,000 seed funding by the DoC Stoat Technical Advisory Group. The programme aimed to interest children in science and obtain data on stoat distribution, especially within urban parks and residential areas. Native bird numbers there seemed to have diminished over the years despite the efforts of councils and property owners in planting native species as a food source for birds. This was to be a backyard monitoring programme for the children, and so it required a light-weight, easy-to-use tracking tunnel. Warren with the assistance of a neighbour, Martin Farrand, the owner of a large Auckland packaging company, developed an innovative tracking tunnel. Martin felt it would be possible to develop a long-life ink that would not be affected by rain and that would provide clear animal footprints. The Black Trakka, as the new tracking tunnel is now known, consists of a folded polyethelene tunnel secured in place by two U-shaped wires. Inside the 500mm tunnel is placed a pre-inked card to record the footprints of the animal attracted inside by a lure. On the underside of the inked card are printed explanatory notes and sample footprints that assist with interpretation of mice, rats, mustelids and hedgehog tracks. Development of the tracking tunnel has enabled hundreds of school children, ranging from 8 to 18 years, to become involved in a discovery-based science programme. The Find Out programme raises young people’s awareness of animal pests and their harmful effects

on our native flora and fauna. It also demonstrates the application of science to resolve a significant environmental issue. Students are being encouraged to experiment with different lures, visual stimuli, camouflage and tunnel placement. From this it is hoped that a more efficient means of luring stoats

into traps might be discovered. Recording and collation of data from the students’ monitoring may also provide a better understanding of stoat distribution and feeding patterns in parts of New Zealand. Monitoring data recorded by participating schools is collated and available at www.stoats.co.nz where there is also information on stoats and other animal predators in New Zealand. The tracking tunnel has

contributed to the success of the Find Out programme because it is easy to use, and the same benefits are now being realised by councils and other conservation agencies. Because tracking tunnels also allow the detection of mice, rats, hedgehogs, weasels and ferrets, it is possible to discover the presence of any

unwanted predators in the neighbourhood. This indicates the necessary steps to remove or control these animals for the protection of New Zealand’s largely unique flora and fauna. For more information on the Black Trakka, and tips on effective predator control, look up the internet website of Gotcha Traps and Tracking at www.gotchatraps.com phone (09-425-6483), or email gotcha@best.net.nz.