The primary method for the eradication of stoats will be trapping as there is not unanimous approval for aerial broadcast of baited toxins.
Although it will be very difficult to achieve 100% eradication through trapping alone, it is the main method available for this project and will kill the majority of the stoats on the island (knockdown stage).
Arapaoa Island is close to the mainland, and stoats will continue to swim across Tory Channel and Queen Charlotte Sound. Trapping on the south side of Tory Channel (approx. 4700ha) will reduce the number that will migrate but this plan must take into account continual re-invasion.
A pilot is undertaken to verify methodologies to be used prior to rollout over the entire island.
Types of traps
The Arapaoa Kiwi project will utilise a number of different traps and will evaluate and use other technologies that may be suitable for the project if they become available.
DOC 200
Kill targets: weasels, stoats, ferrets, and rats
Best for:
- DOC 150, 200: weasel, stoat and rat control
- DOC 250: ferret control
Pros: long service life, proven effective
The DOC series:
- must be used inside a covered tunnel box following best practice tunnel design
- requires some expertise to check the trigger sensitivity over time
- comes in single-trap or double-trap combinations – doubles are recommended for stoat control
- may require box modification to exclude non-targets, such as small children, weka, and kea.
On the Arapaoa Kiwi project, we are using longer DOC200 traps designed to avoid catching weka.
Goodnature A24
Kill targets: stoats, weasels, and rats
Best for: controlling rats when trapping is the preferred control option
Pros: new technology, labour saving, no resetting required, continuous kill
The A24:
- is a self-resetting trap
- can trigger 24 times before needing a CO2 canister change.
Lure
For rats: Goodnature Rat Lure
For stoats: Goodnature Stoat Lure