Predator Free Dunedin expands pest control in New Zealand
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Predator Free Dunedin, a project in Otago, New Zealand, received $3.9 million from the Department of Conservation to expand its efforts to eliminate pests surrounding the Orokonui Ecosanctuary.
The ecosanctuary currently protects native birds like the kakaruia and kākā, and has reached a point where populations are nearing their maximum size within the fenced area. Project leaders now aim to extend protection beyond the sanctuary’s fence to allow these birds to thrive in coastal Otago.
The Halo Project, working with Predator Free Dunedin, will target mustelids, rats, rabbits, and feral cats. They plan to use a combination of methods, including shooting, toxins, live traps, and traps equipped with artificial intelligence to distinguish between predators and native birds. The project will cover an area from Port Chalmers to Aramoana and Blueskin Bay. Project leaders intend to first reduce rabbit and rat numbers, making predators more vulnerable to removal.
They will also test PAPP sausage, a new toxin for the environment, and are training a dog named Pepper to detect stoat scat. While previous work successfully removed possums from the Otago Peninsula, the team acknowledges that controlling pests on open land, without the natural barrier of a peninsula, will present new challenges, requiring rapid detection and removal of returning animals.
