Current Situation
Of the 14 original pest animal species identified at the start of the project, only 3 remain.
There is only one isolated pocket of rabbits. Hares have been reduced to two areas on the fence line. Both of these species are currently being dealt with via poisoning, trapping and shooting.
Mice remain problematic. Favourable weather conditions in spring and summer 2010/11 have allowed numbers to escalate and this has brough about a trial change in policy on mouse from eradication to control.
Latest Map
Mouse & Rabbit & Hare Tracking
Future Management
2011 should see the eradication of rabbits and hares. The eradication of mice is proving to be a problem, with advice from experts there has been a trial introduced to control mice rather than eradicate.
In 2010 MEIT developed 'threatened species' safe bait stations and mouse trap housings. In 2011 they will be deployed along the fence line in a wall of death. This will be a significant project given there are approximately 20,000 bait stations and mouse traps currently on the mountain. However, by undertaking this project MEIT will be free to introduce a wide range of threatened species onto the main mountain, while not hindering ongoing mouse control operations. See the report after 6 months of mouse control
A Brief History
The MEIT vision is "to remove, for ever, introduced mammalian pests and predators from Maungatautari, and restore to the forest a healthy diversity of indigenous plants and animals not seen in our lifetime".
Analysis of the mountain identified 14 mammalian pest species:
-
Deer
-
Possums
-
Goats
-
Pigs
-
Cats
-
Hedgehogs
-
Ferrets
-
Stoats
-
Weasels
-
Hares
-
Rabbits
-
Norway rats
-
Ship rats
-
Mice
The first targets for eradication were the northern and southern enclosures.
In July and August 2004, MEIT staff and volunteers cut grid lines and placed monitoring tunnels in the two enclosures in preparation for the pest monitoring operation. In the northern enclosures a 25 by 25 metre grid was established and in the southern a 50 by 50 metre grid.
In August 2004 a pre-eradication exercise was conducted. Only rats were detected. Ink on many of the tracking cards appeared to have been licked off and some cards and tunnels had been chewed. The rat tracking rate in the southern enclosure was calculated at 97.5%, with a 96.6% tracking rate in the northern enclosure.
In September 2004 brodifacoum laced bait was aerially spread across the northern and southern enclosures. While this appeared to eradicate the rats, it allowed the mice to flourish. Through the remainder of 2004 a ground based trapping, poisoning and monitoring operation was carried out.
By July 2005 the Department of Conservation declared the enclosures pest free and safe for kiwi.
On 23 July 2005 four kiwi were released into the northern enclosure. They were the first kiwi to walk on Maungatautari in an estimated 100 years.
In 2005/06 approximately 300kms of tracks were cut on the mountain. Each track was to be a maximum of 200m from its neighbour and tracking tunnels were placed every 100m, giving MEIT a monitoring network of over 2,800 tracking tunnels.
In November 2006 brodifacoum laced baits were aerially spread across the main mountain (minus the enclosures) followed six weeks later by a second drop, and a third in September 2008.
These operations, combined with ground based trapping, poisoning and shooting began to rid the mountain of pests. In 2007 deer, pigs, cats, ferrets, stoats, weasels and possums were eradicated. In 2008 hedgehogs joined them and in 2009 goats, ship and Norway rats followed.
Of the original list of 14 mammalian pest species only rabbits, hares and mice are left.
|
.jpg)
Mouse, rabbit and hare tracking
as at December 2010
 Possum and rat prey on a birds nest
- photo courtesy of Nga Manu Images
Feral goat in thick bush cover
 Rat eating fantail chick
it has just taken from the nest
- photo courtesy of Nga Manu Images
Monitoring tunnel on site
Monitoring tunnel and
tracking card ready for despatch
 Helicopter poison drop - Nov 2006
|
.jpg){kind=link}
