Rat Control (100m x 100m) Harts Hill - Fiordland Project Report
Following the success of the Harts Hill 100m x 50m rat control project, in May 2015 the network was extended to 670 Goodnature A24 rat traps over 600 hectares of beech forest at Harts Hill, Kepler Track, Fiordland National Park at half the trap density of DOC best practice guidelines. Prior to establishment, rat numbers in the project area had been measured at a pre-treatment rat index of 44% which is above the species damage threshold. After four weeks, the first post-treatment monitor showed rat numbers had been reduced to 6%. A second post-treatment monitor at 8 weeks showed rats had been reduced to 0% - an undetectable level – while the population in the non-treatment area remained at 71%. A third post-treatment monitor at 12 weeks showed rats had been sustained at 1% with a single rat indication at the perimeter of the project. The project successfully knocked down and sustained control of an elevated rat population in New Zealand beech forest.
Read the full report here