Sound Lure: Further Deployment Developments

This photograph shows the deployment location of one of the project sound lures which is in the McKenzie Country in the South Island of New Zealand.

This is part of a larger trap line and is operating with the 'Stoat' sound lure profile, it has been placed inside a DOC 250.

Thank you to Peter from the University of Otago for the opportunity to test the unit at this location.

We are looking forward to seeing the results from this unit and others that are currently being set up on the West Coast of the South Island targetting Stoats.

Deploying the sound lure units throughout the country will allow us to produce invaluable data about the use of the units and their effectiveness.

Following an overhaul of our camera recording equipment at the Deployment One Location, close to Kapuni we have noticed a significant increase in activity around the sound lure.   The image on the left from two days ago shows a large rat in the vicinty of the trap, to the left of the tree.   There was not a specific activation of the trap.   Recorded 15/08/2020.

The second image (below) is from the following evening.   Again there is clear evidence of a brush tailed possum, slightly obscured to the right in the tree immediately next to the sound lure.    The unit deployment consists of a chew card on the tree, an additional wire cage where rabbit meat has been placed in the past,

a rat box immediately next to the tree housing a sound lure (with solar panel visible on top of the unit) and finally to the right of the sound lure is a secondary trap with mice traps.    This has been placed to remove mice from the area to allow the rat trap to remain in place.

At this stage we are just using peanut butter on the main trap as a basic bait.  The intention has always been once the basic electrics have been mastered to include a varietty of traps and baits as well as refining the basic sound profile to target specifc pest animals.