When rural pests invade the suburbs
What can townies do if they spot a stoat? Janine Rankin asks.
Pests know no boundaries.
Out in the countryside, farmers have good reason to support efforts to eradicate possums, rabbits and mustelids that threaten their livelihood.
But in town, and on the lifestyle-block fringes, pests are enthusiastic destroyers of the things people enjoy, like their vegetable and ornamental gardens.
Horizons Regional Council biosecurity manager Ray Wilman understands the problems of ‘‘amenity pests’’.
‘‘Lifestylers have a lot of problems when they are suddenly confronted by creatures all over the lawn.’’
Even in the heart of the city, pest animals are quite prevalent, attracted by the convenient and tasty plants people have provided.
‘‘A city possum is usually big and healthy and well fed. It has a smorgasbord, the best of everything – fruit and vegetables, trees and berries and flowers, and they love rosebuds.’’
But you can’t shoot them in town.
The amenity pest programme is available to help. Or at least, to help people to help themselves, providing a range of traps for possums, stoats and weasels, and practical advice on dealing with rabbits.
Stoney Creek Rd resident Tracey Bretherton is an example.
‘‘I had a bumper crop of feijoas and when possums destroy those fruit trees, it’s heart-breaking.’’
Wilman has set up kill-traps for
her and she has dealt with the bodies.
‘‘I don’t want to bother Ray. I’m a nurse and I do not mind what I touch so long as I have gloves on. And I bury them under the fruit trees and feel like they are giving something back.’’
There are some pests Wilman does not help with.
There are plenty of self-help and commercial solutions for dealing with rats and mice, and Horizons looks to city and district councils to deal with homeless and feral cat problems.
He does extend to providing traps for magpies, on account of their aggressive tendencies, and helps manage koi carp, which can turn a pond into a mud bath uninhabitable for other species.
Horizons also has a rook control programme and although it’s not common to see them in town, he’s keen to hear if people do see them.