Mustelid milestone: 1,000 mustelids removed by the Halo team (so far).
The Halo Project continue to build on their comprehensive grid of predator control devices and now have an impressive 3,538 predator control devices installed in their area.
All this hard work is paying off as the team recently reached an incredible milestone, having removed over 1000 mustelids since they started controlling these pests in 2018! It is fantastic to hear that the Halo Project is making great progress helping to protect our native taoka.
‘Mustelids’ refer to stoats, weasels and ferrets. Since they were introduced around 1880, they have had a devastating effect on New Zealand’s unique native birdlife. These introduced predators are notoriously difficult to capture.
Stoats tend to have an average home range of approximately 1.5 - 4 km. One stoat was even recorded traveling over 70 km in one week! In comparison, possums tend to stay in an area of around 200 m, and rats around 100 - 550 m.
Aerial view of the network of mustelid control devices in the Halo Project operating area.
In addition to mustelids, the Halo Project are also targeting possums.
A fantastic addition to the possum trapping network has been the high-tech AT220 traps, of which there are now 855 across the Halo Project area. These devices self-reset as opposed to conventional devices which need to be manually reset. This means that they can continue to remove one possum after another without being serviced for up to six months.
These devices have been installed since 2022 and have removed 14,280 predators so far!
A member of the Halo Project team checking an AT220 trap.
The Halo Project focus continues to expand from their core Halo zone around Orokonui Ecosanctuary to the buffer zone. The buffer zone runs from State Highway One in the west, up to the Waikouaiti river and down to the Taieri. Click on the areas below to learn more!
The Halo team have been holding public meetings in Warrington, Karitāne and Seacliff to get to know these communities and understand the pests they are seeing. Through these meetings, the team hear lots of interesting predator control stories from residents. For example, one resident in the Seacliff area has removed 38 possums since January using a Timms device set with apples from the Truby King Reserve!
The Halo Project are looking forward to working with these motivated communities, and are eager to establish predator device lines in this area, targeting possums and mustelids.
Do you live within the Halo Project area? The team want your feedback! Complete this residents survey and go in the draw to win a $100 Arc Brewery Voucher!