As well as keeping plant pests (Weeds)
under
control there has been continual effort in Trelissick Park over the
years in keeping
animal pests (Predators) under control.
The
Wellington Regional Council (Greater
Wellington) has been very proactive for many years in regional predator
elimination and control, as has the Wellington City Council within City
parks and reserves.
Bait stations were introduced into Trelissick Park in early 1998 by the
Regional Council.
Background information on this is contained in Regional Council Predator Control
As a result there has been little evidence of
possum activity in Trelissick Park for the
last decade though possums were once a great menace inhibiting native
plant regeneration in the Park.
There are
ongoing problems with rats, stoats (and other mustelids),
hedgehogs, and rabbits. In particular, rats and
stoats kill native birds and eat their eggs in nests.
To a lesser extent, mice can be considered
predators as well as feral cats anywhere in the Park and some
domestic cats on Park
boundaries near residential areas.
Dogs, off-leash and off-track and not under
control, can be fatal for
fledgling native birds.
And it should be mentioned that there are a very
small minority of the human visitors to the Park who damage or destroy
the native fish and eels and the native birds or their habitat.
Camera Sightings of
Intruders
In September and October 2017 a Victoria
University
MSc student conducted a study of animal intruders into a portion of
Trelissick Park using a dozen motion activated cameras. Some 40,000
images were recorded and evaluated. The cameras were 10m or 20m off
track to eliminate any track users.
The following list gives the numbers of confirmed
free range animals (excluding birds):
9 rodents
56 hedgehogs
337 dogs
50 cats
68 rabbits
0 mustelids
A summary of the project is contained at the following link Project Summary (November 2017)
Norway rat Rattus norvegicus
Ship rat Rattus rattus
Hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus
occidentalis
Hare Lepus europaeus occidentalis
House mouse Mus musculus
Feral rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus
Feral and unwanted cats Felis catus
Off-leash and off-track dogs Canis
lupus familiaris
TPG Volunteer
efforts
Ongoing
bait station servicing was taken over by TPG volunteers in 2008 and has
been
carried out in partnership with the City and the Regional
Councils. Generally the bait stations are visited monthly for
replenishment as necessary. Mustelid traps (DOC200) were also
introduced into the park in 2008 and are also checked monthly by
volunteers for victims and/or resetting as needed.
We currently have five volunteers - each of whom do monthly rounds of
their allocated traps and stations.
The possum/rodent bait for many years was 'pellet'
bait. In 2016 the bait was changed to be 'block' bait - to lessen
the chance of pellets being dislodged from the bait stations and to
lessen the chance of hoarding by rats. The block bait is designed
mainly for rodents.
Monitoring trials by
Victoria University (chew cards,
tracking tunnels, and night motion-sensitive videos) have identified
interesting pest animal
behaviours and distribution patterns. There were 60 chew card locations on three chew lines as shown on this
map link.
Chew Card locations
(July 2012 update) and the locations were visited monthly for a year to
replace the chew cards and to ascertain which predators had visited.
Bait
Stations
Bait Station locations V1 to V26 shown on this older map link. Bait Station locations
(July 2012 update)
Updated map of bait
stations and mustelid traps Station locations
(January 2016)
Updated map of
bait and baitsafe stations and mustelid traps Locations
(April 2018)
We
currently have 32
bait stations in operation, 15 DOC200 mustelid traps, 10 A24 stations
and 20
Bait Safe possum stations. See below pictures for exampes of each of
these.
Beware !! :
Keep children and dogs under your control at all times
Final Block Bait:
Container of Rodent Bait (block bait)
Bait Station:
Bait Station in action (with block bait)
Bait Station:
Bait Station showing block bait on wire
Damaged Bait Station:
Bait Stations are sometimes as tasty as the bait
Pest Off (pellet bait):
Bag of Possum/Rodent Bait (pellets, no longer used for rats)
Bait Station:
Bait Station in action (previous when pellets were used for rats)
Baitsafe Possum Station:
Baitsafe Station in action (for possums only - rats need not
apply)
Mustelid Trap (DOC200):
DOC200 Station
Deceased Trelissick Park Rat:
One less predator!
Deceased Trelissick Park Stoat:
One less predator!
trial of Goodnature A24 trap:
Installation of A24 trap
and success with the A24 trap !:
A24 success! One less rat!
