War on pests gets hi-tech weapon
Military grade thermal-imaging gear could be the new go-to weapon in New Zealand’s war on invasive species.
Upper Hutt wildlife management business Trap and Trigger is hoping to become a leader in the use of thermal imaging cameras in the conservation industry and has invested about $100,000 into the equipment.
The system would be used to detect pests in conservation operations and director Jordan Munn said the equipment could be a real game-changer.
Having spent seven years as a professional hunter and animal controller, Munn began developing his own ideas about how operations could be improved.
After hearing about thermal imaging gear being trialled for animal location he decided Trap and Trigger should be at the industry’s technological forefront.
He spent months researching the equipment and worked with the German company that manufactured the camera to tailor it to his needs.
Attached to a user by a harness, the camera is steadied by a mechanical arm and can pick up a deer in open ground from a kilometre away.
Used from a helicopter, animal controllers could cover more ground, and locate and dispatch animals such as goats, deer and pigs much more efficiently than with traditional methods, Munn said.
‘‘Where before we might have had 10 guys and their dogs in the bush slogging their guts out for 10 days, now we can concentrate that effort.
‘‘Thermal imaging from the air could allow us to find a similar number of animals in day.’’
Pest species had learned to become more wary of hunters over the years and thermal imaging would allow animal controllers to get the upper hand by making it harder for animals to hide.
It would not completely replace other wildlife management techniques, but would be another ‘‘tool in the toolbox’’.
While Munn is only just getting to grips with the new gear, it is already making waves in the conservation community.
Trap and Trigger’s Tads is a finalist in the 2017 World Wildlife Fund Conservation Innovation Awards which reward and encourage new conservation ideas.
There are three categories, each with a $25,000 prize.
Trap and Trigger is eligible for the Predator Free New Zealand 2050 and Open Category prizes.
Munn said the system had a range of other applications, including being used to monitor native species.
The camera could also be used in search and rescue operations, identifying hotspots during or after fires before they reignited and finding corrosion on transmission lines.