North Shore Times (New Zealand)
Rats targeted to save environment
North Shore residents aren’t the only ones snuggling up indoors this winter.
Rats are also looking for warmth and are foraging into homes.
Environmental groups are hoping this knowledge will give residents more incentive to get involved with rat eradication programmes.
Predator free New Zealand means restoring the native, ecological environment.
Auckland University’s conservation biologist James Russell says despite rat populations, the predator free goal is an achievable target.
‘‘If everyone had a rat trap in their backyard then the North Shore would be free of invasive mammals,’’ Russell says.
‘‘Big problems have small solutions.’’
Rats are pests and predators to native birds, climbing trees to attack fantail nests.
Birds are vulnerable because of what Russell calls the ‘‘electric tap situation’’.
‘‘If you are electrocuted and die the first time you touch an electric tap, there is no evolution.
‘‘It’s the same principle for birds. If they are eaten there is no chance to learn how to evade predators.’’
Beyond the Fence is an Auckland Council initiative aiming to restore the ecological balance one backyard at a time.
Rat coordinators Mike and Diana Sumner are leading the way for Northcote’s Seaview Ave.
Poison cubes are placed in a rat accessible container.
The containers are difficult to open, even with a key, making them child and pet friendly.
The poison is a derivative of Warfarin, which stops blood clotting.
Slow acting poison means finding dead rats on properties is unlikely, but carcasses can be disposed easily in the bin or bush.
Diana says the community project gives her a ‘‘real sense of achievement’’.
‘‘The proof of the pudding will be having more birds,’’ she says.
Russell says New Zealand is achieving great success in other areas, having recently eradicated pest ants from Tiritiri Matangi Island.
If getting rid of ants off a small island is possible, who knows what can be done in the future.
Attend James Russell’s Predator Free NZ. June 6, 7.30pm at the Senior Citizen’s Clubroom, Takapuna.
❚ Visit predatorfreenz.org.