War on rats heats up on Waiheke Island

Monday, 18 September 2017

Miriam Whelan has screwed her rat trap to a post after finding droppings nearby, on the stairs.

A one-woman crusade to rid rats from her property has turned into a localised campaign on Auckland's 'jewel in the crown' Waiheke Island.

Miriam Whelan, who has a holiday home at Palm Beach on the island, was so concerned about the effects of rats on birds near her house that she formed a group to take action.

Rats are a threat to birds and their young.

It's been up and running since July 2017 and is going from strength to strength, particularly among many other holiday home owners at Palm Beach.

Whelan estimates there are around 300 holiday homes there and she aims to see at least a third of the owners setting traps by summer.

Miriam Whelan demonstrates how easy the instant-kill device is to use.

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'I'll be doing another leaflet drop over Labour Weekend, when many of them usually head for the island,' she said.

The Palm Beach Predator Free group is being supported by a Kiwibank scheme, which awards funding to 10 groups nationwide intent on tackling pests.

Whelan, who is a member of the island's Native Bird Rescue group, said she found out about the scheme six weeks ago and promptly applied.

The successful result means the group can now obtain rat traps and other killing devices at a discount.

One that's proving particularly successful for Whelan and her neighbours is Goodnature's A24 self-resetting trap.

The rat is lured in and quickly killed by a gas-powered bolt.

It falls out of the trap and can be left on the ground as it has not ingested toxins that could harm pets.

'The trap's got a counter. Seven rats have been killed on the property since I installed it - two this week,' Whelan said.

'It's proving very popular. I've sold 26 discounted ones under the Kiwibank scheme already and the demand is there for more.

'But the scheme is limited to Palm Beach residents only.'

Whelan said her campaign was separate from the work being done by the Hauraki Gulf Conservation Group, which is calling on all residents to report sightings of rats and support their eradication island-wide.

Rocky Bay's Ratbusters Group, which has been going since 2014, is part of that initiative.

Palm Beach residents can contact Miriam Whelan by email at PredatorFreePB@gmail.com or call 0274 720079.

Rocky Bay residents can email rockybayratbusters@gmail.com or call (09) 372 6710.

See haurakigulfconservation.org.nz for more information about whole island projects or visit gulfjournal.org.nz - a website set up by the Hauraki Gulf Forum.

In July 2016, the Government announced Predator Free 2050, to control pests and help protect native wildlife. Aerial poison 1080 will be used at around 29 sites to knock down rat, possum and stoat numbers. There will be traps and other ground-based methods at other more accessible sites.

Labour says it will back New Zealand being predator free by 2050, or earlier, by using 1080. But it would, at the same time, encourage research into and development of new and improved alternatives to 1080.

The Green Party wants to double the number of rangers working on the front lines to defend nature and double the amount of pest control on conservation land, within five years.