Sound Lures: First External Deployment

We are preparing for the first external deployments of the sound lure unit which has been developed since last September in this current form (having being revised several times in terms of coding, unit set up, solar powered plannning etc). 

It has always been the intention since the projects inception to make the units, which are extremely cost effective, available for wider trials and experimentation to try and improve their use.   As has been noted many times on this blog the units in deployment currently are deployed for the purposes of testing to deal with issues of the units reliability, the battery levels and water proofing.   Once we can establish testing zones or areas outside of the current location we can start looking at sounds, frequency of activations of sounds etc and determine the contribution of the sound lures to effective trapping. 

Evidence strongly suggests that it works with a range of creatures, but this is documented on a small scale at present and there are also other factors directly affecting the deployment (such as the domestic cat which is clearly is visiting the site each night) and the presence of other animals (the large dog) and cats.   There is also the location of the sound lure relative to the river as this is placed in such a location that it near an active part of the river which generates other noise.
Very shortly there is going to be significant developments with the project and also start to expand the deployment.   These are taking place at a number of locations throughout the region, with a focus specifically on possums for a major regional project. 

There will be a secondary project focussed on other pest animals which will take place at select locations, some of these locations will be external to the Taranaki region where we are based. 

Right from the onset of the project we have been interesting in partnering with groups and indidivduals who are actively involved in pest reduction in both our region (Taranaki) and the wider region of New Zealand.  While the target was originally going to be stoats there are a wide range of potential for the technology and the set up.   If you have not made contact with us yet and would liket to do so at some point for using the technology or working with us can you please email us at myles.webb@gmail.com

The sound lure can be left at a location, in sunlight, and charge and operate independently.   It appears at the time of writing (six months) that it was not adversely be affected by weather.   It can be programmed in a huge number of ways to reflect a variety of variables based around operating.

We have changed the base profile at the main testing location.   The new sound profile has retained the 'chick' sound, which is the day profile.   This also features at night four additional sound profiles, rat, field mouse, and two variations of distressed rabbit.   These profiles are playing at one minute random intervals from within the inside of the box.   The box is currently a standard rat box, with a t-rex plastic trap inside.   

Due to testing conditions and activations we have placed a second box next ot the sound lure box.  This has two deployed mouse traps, as mice have been responsible for clearing out the traps without setting off the larger trap.

On the third night of this deployment with the new sound profile the brush tailed possum shown in the photographs appears at the trap and tries to interact with it.

Sound Lures: Domestic Cats: Modifying trap deployment review DS1

Having spent two weeks deploying the sound lure by exposing it to Autumn elements a variation has been made, with the same sound profile, to see what affect that this has on the images. 

Cat standing on sound lure box

A second trap box has been deployed adjacent to the first.   This is in place with two small mouse traps held inside.   There is clear evidence that a small animal is entering the larger tunnel and stripping off the peanut butter that is placed on the larger trap.  The animal is such that it is not causing the rat trap to activate, nor the trail camera to detect it as when there is clear evidence that this is occurring (bait is missing) the camera has not deteceted as image, on a twenty second delay.   To deter this smaller mouse traps have been placed in the second box, the result of this has seen three small mice being removed from the environment.

The major change is placing the sound lure inside the tunnel box.   This has been done to test how this affects interactions with the lure.   For the first two nights of this there was two significant differences one which was illustrated in the photographs.    On the first night an animal of some description moved the second box one metre or so away from where it was placed.   Unfortunately due to human error there was no recording of this event or animal.  It would have to be either a possum or a cat (perhaps jumping onto the box).   

cat returns to sound lure box 

The second nights major activities are highlighted here in the case of the domestic cat. 

In a series of photographs the cat can be seen interacting with the box - but in this case climbing over the box (instead of as has been typical with this cat previously interacting around the base of it). 

This cat is one of two domestic cats at this location, which also includes a large dog.    As has been noted repeatedly on this blog the reason that the testing of the units needs to move away from this location is the factor that these animals are present.   The cat shown here is regularly approaching the site where the lure is, either on camera or waiting in the area.   There is a direct correlation between the first arrival on camera of the two domestic cats, after five days and a 118 activations of animals (typically rats and mice) to a further twelve days and another 28 activations which are almost exclusively cats.   The featured cat has had interactions with the lure over a number of months, since the start of the first trial with the sound lure but is continuing to interact directly with and spend considerable time in the area where the sound lure is deployed.  Feral cats are an issue in a number of areas and this would suggest the lure would be useful in attracting them. 

In addition to the sound lure trap area at the house/field area nearby there is a further DOC2000 Stoat trap (baited with an egg which has had no activations since being deployed).   There is another monitored trap on the property outside with a temperature probe (no activations during this deployment) as well as six internal traps at various locations in either outbuildings or the main house (none of which has recorded any activations during the latest testing phase).    The final trap at this location is a live capture trap.   This has been deployed baited with fruit over the past three years.  It has resulted in the capture of sixteen brushtailed possums, 13 in the first year, two in February of this year within three days and a further capture on Friday.    This possum was identified as regularly raiding the compost bin and was targetted for capture with the trap.  The sound lure was not used in conjunction with this capture as the sound lure would have been at a location where it would have been clearly heard at the house.

The lure will be delpoyed for another two weeks at this location inside the tunnel.  It does need to be pointed out that this tunnel is not custom made for the lure (as will be constructed at some point) it is simply able to fit inside the lure so there has been little thought to acoustic noise, design of the tunnel etc.   This is another project for another time.

Sound Lures: Domestic/Feral Cats: Weekly review DS1

 As New Zealand enters stage two of the lockdown due to Corona Virus/Covid 19 it is allows us to push forward with external deployment of sound lures to locations that vary significantly from the deployment areas from the last six months.    We have some consistents from the limited deployments to this point.   We have been able with the use of tracking cameras to identify and track and produce evidence of a number of species. 

The original sound profile and project was directed towards Stoats, however since its inception and limited deployment it has become obvious that Possums and certainly Cats are interacting specifically with the lure itself.   Recent evidence would also suggest that this is the case with Rats/Mice.

A week of deployment at the deployment site one location has resulted in during the course of six nights 136 animal activations (one nights activity had to be disreguarded due to technical errors in recording).   Currently 42% of these activations (58/136) have been produced by domestic cats.     The other 58% (78/136) have been produced by rats/mice.   During the first four nights of lure deployment there was no cat activity and to that point, the sixth and seven nights were dominated by cat activity as the cats were responsible for 58 out of the 72 activations, representing a figure of 81%.   It is intended that the sound lure and camera will now be maintained at this location moving forward, with only slight subtle changes to allow a greater understanding of potential data and information being collected.

There have been no possum interactions with the sound lure in the past seven days.    There is currently a local trapping program in place immediate across the river from the lure location and there has been active shooting by a local farmer.  He has reported low number of possums (in general) at this present time.    There is also little evidence of possum activity in the vicinity (as this is near a property where the owner has had a baited live capture trap [with fruit].   This set up, without sound lure has been present for three years and resulted in the live capture of fifteen possums.   Thirteen were caught in the first six months, then there was a break of over a calendar year and two further possums were caught in February of this year (2020) within a three day time span.   The propery concerned is relatively small but has about a dozen or so mature trees.

Feral Cats are a target animal in pest removal and the sound lure would appear to show evidence of attracting cats and having interaction with them.   It should be pointed out for the domestic cats that the lure is still working on them after six months and still causing them to have direct interaction with it.   This could be explained by its random selecting of nightime tracks and loop in waiting for a track to play so that the cats are not familiar with the lure itself and continue to interact with it. 

Once we start expanding the test area for the lure, including deployment at areas throughout the Taranaki Region we can start to measure and test the effectiveness of the unit.   We are continuing to see evidence that the unit is working, drawing successfully on the battery so that is running constantly and has remained water tight since the move detailed on this blog towards the commercial box.

Extensive Rodent Activations May 2020

The deployment of the current testing of the lure is now taking place in Autumn in New Zealand.  At activation site one the maize that is on the other side of the location (the river is the other) has been cut down.  A result has seen significant increase in the amount of rodent activity around the lure.   In the past five days there have been 108 activations of animals including mice, rats and cats.   

Of note the animals have been seen interacting with the lure, with the lure currently placed on the box on top of the trap to expose it to the weather elements to test the efficiency of the water proofing of the unit.   We will shortly modify the set up by

placing the sound unit inside the box itself and altering the sound to include rats and mice (it is currently using the original sound profile which is possum, chicks and stoat). 

We are seeing extensive mouse activity which is provign to be problematic as mice have been able to remove the bait without triggering the trap itself.   Also of note as shown in the top photograph there is at least one rat in the vicinity of the trap that is too large to enter the trap.   Finally the other issue that needs to be addressed during the deployment of the site is the presence in the general area of domestic animals.   This includes a large dog and two domestic cats.   Both of

these cats have been seen interacting with the lure and in the lures vicinity. 

In previous deployments in other locations feral cats have been seen interacting with the lure.

On the night of Monday 11th May there was considerable interaction with the lure from the two domestic cats, with 40 out of 54 interactions being indentified as domestic cats (the first time in the five day period that they have been seen at the deployment site).   A question that needs to be answered is how the cat activity is having an affect on the amount of rodent activity - and this will probably only be answered once the unit can be

deployed at external locations.   

The New Zealand Government has recently announced a move from Alert Level Three to Alert Level Two for dealing with Coronavirus/Covid-19.   This will allow the opportunity for work and deployment on the sound lure at a variety of locations that are distinct and allow opportunities for further development of the sound profile and testing.   As has been mentioned several times on this blog there are several significant annoucements and media projects and examples related to this project shortly to be announced.

Extended Rat/Lure Interaction

We have returned again to deployment site one, which has been detailed in the past.   We have also reverted to the original sound profile which consists of a 'chick' sound during the day and a rotating profile in the evening of 'chick (2), possum (2) and stoat).    The computer is programmed to play one of the tracks randomly at a one minute pause before cycling to another track. 

With the solar power board that is present with the unit the unit is able to power itself independently.    This would allow the unit to be deployed potentially and left at a long term location where it would continue to operate without the need for any interaction.    We have deliberately placed the sound unit (speaker) and the box housing the computer unit on top of the unit to expose it to the elements.   

Long term we would look at placing the electronics inside the trap itself and will be experimenting with the speaker either inside the box, so that the sound eminates from inside the box, which will reduce the sound but potentially be more useful in encouraging the animal to enter the tunnel.

In the evening of Thursday 7th May 2020, the first time that the unit has been deployed at the site following some updating of the unit there was a particular interaction of note.   There is a rat that can be seen interacting with the unit, which was photographed repeatedly with the trail camera - of particular interest is the time stamp with the pictures and what was occurring.

The two photographs that are shown above show the same rat interaction with the lure, but not the trap box, over twelve minutes.   The rat in the two photographs can clearly be seen climbing on the back of the box to interact with the speaker, while not venturing into the tunnel below (which contains a standard trap with peanut butter) on three occasions to interact with the speaker.

On three occassions during this twelve minute time frame the rat attempts to interact with the speaker.   This would suggest that it is interacting with the sound lure itself ignoring the bait below as it is finding the lure more interesting (or attracting).   Further research needs to be done with this as DOC have produced research about the matter but it appears potentially positive that the lure is working and able to attract rats to it.