Sandymount Reserve is a great spot for locals and tourists to enjoy a walk in nature, with spectacular views across the Otago Peninsula coastline. However, it is also popular with possums.

The reserve’s mix of open farmland and regenerating native bush, including stands of kānuka and broadleaf species, provides plenty of food and shelter for possums. Thick ground cover provides plenty of hiding spots, and makes it harder to do trapping and monitoring.

This has made Sandymount and other conservation areas like Sandfly Bay and Boulder Beach some of the more difficult areas to remove possums as part of the possum free peninsula project.

Just how many possums are there?

Monitoring possums in these reserves hasn’t been easy. The team tried to figure it out using traditional tools like chew cards, wax tags, and trail cameras. While these showed there were plenty of possums present, there was always a big question mark: are we dealing with a few possums showing up repeatedly, or is it a bigger population?

In August 2023, the team from High Country Contracting used a thermal drone to scan the reserve for possums to help answer this question. This high-tech approach detects animals by their heat signature, giving us a clearer picture of how many possums are in the reserves and where they are hiding. In Sandymount alone, the drone counted 58 possums – a conservative estimate given the vegetation was too dense in places to detect every individual. It became clear that we needed a plan for these reserves if we were to achieve the vision for a possum-free peninsula.

Putting plans into action

The drone gave us the information we needed to plan a targeted operation. It was clear that different techniques would be needed to remove every last possum.

What happened next was an amazing team effort. Staff and contractors from Otago Peninsula Biodiversity Group, City Sanctuary, and the Halo Project joined forces with the Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust team, who are experts in toxin elimination operations. Together, we carried out an extensive toxin operation across the Sandymount Reserve and other public conservation land (PCL) reserves.

The operation went well – and even finished ahead of schedule. Over the coming weeks, the bait stations were checked and refilled, with a good amount of bait being taken by possums and other predators like rats and mice.

Did it work?

Over the past few months, we have done two more sweeps with the drone – this time, supported by the team from Provision.

Not a single possum was seen across the reserves – indicating our toxin operations have been a success. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean they are all gone – we know from the initial survey that some possums are hidden deep in the undergrowth.

Now that the population has been knocked right down, the team is able to explore innovative approaches to target these elusive last individuals.

We need your help

As we continue to make the peninsula possum free, we need your eyes and ears on the ground to report any possums (dead or alive) seen on the Otago Peninsula – especially in these reserve areas.

Report any possums seen or heard on the Otago Peninsula immediately at www.reportapossum.nz so the rapid response team can follow up.