Marlborough Express - Weekend Express
One-stop trap shop sets up in Picton
Mice, rats, stoats and ferrets beware: Picton’s one-stop shop for traps just opened.
Picton Dawn Chorus has established a pop-up shop on Wellington St to sell predator traps, which are subsidised by a grant from the Kiwibank Predator Free Community project.
Picton Dawn Chorus project co-ordinator Siobain Browning says the shop, which is being rented to the project at a discounted rate by the landlord, will be open for about six weeks.
‘‘It's good to have a variety of traps across town - we need people to get stoats and mustelids, and we can talk with people about doing that.’’
A selection of different traps will be available, including $10 boxed rat traps which are safe around children and animals, and the self re-setting Goodnature traps which are $85.
Goodnature also donated counters, says Siobain, so people know if they are actually catching pests in case they get scavenged.
‘‘You need to know in order to move your trap after a while if you are not catching anything.’’
Siobain says people should not lose motivation if they don’t catch anything immediately, but as this season has been a ‘‘bumper’’ one for mice, getting a trap would be worthwhile.
Other types of traps will also be available by request, and Siobain hopes people will come to discuss with the shop’s volunteers what they think they need, or leave ideas in a suggestion box.
‘‘It’s good to have a variety of traps across town - we need people to get stoats and mustelids, and we can talk with people about doing that.’’
The project received a one-off grant of $23,000 from the Marlborough District Council this week for a fixed-term project manager.
A full council meeting on Monday approved the funding under its annual plan, so Picton Dawn Chorus could look at funding and sponsorship longerterm.
The group hopes the shop will help towards making Picton the first predator-free town in New Zealand.