Rat Control (100m x 50m) Harts Hill - Fiordland Project Report
In November 2014 a network of 467 Goodnature A24 rat traps was established over 200 hectares of beech forest at Harts Hill, Kepler Track, Fiordland National Park using DOC best practice guidelines. Prior to establishment, rat numbers in the project area had exploded to a pre-treatment rat index of 68% due to the widely publicised beech mast/rat plague event. After twelve weeks, the first post-treatment monitor showed rat numbers had been reduced to 0% - an undetectable level – while rat numbers in the non-treatment monitoring area remained high at 70%. A second post-treatment monitor at 6 months showed rats had been maintained at 0% while the population in the non-treatment area remained at 70%. The project successfully knocked down and controlled elevated rat populations in New Zealand beech forest to undetectable levels.
Read the full report here