To deliver phase 1 of the programme Rotorua Canopy Tours staff spent the winter months of 2013 preparing over 10 kilometers of trapping lines in order to remove possums stoats and rats from the Dansey Road Scenic Reserve on the outskirts of Rotorua.

On Saturday 8th of September 2013 525 traps were set live after 4 weeks of prefeeding the area. The intention was to remove as many pest species as possible to create a safe breeding season for the native birds. Every day for the following week the traps were checked and reset.

The Target was 3 tonnes of pest animals to be removed over the week if there was enough pest density in the forest.

The result was we simply ran out of animals and killed over 750 animals over the week. We continue to enter the forest weekly and remove the animals reset and re bait the traps. We will maintain this over summer 2014 and then get into phase 2 in winter 2014.

Update 18 December 2013

Possums 337

Rats 385

Stoats 7