Ending Deployment Site Two: Final Data

 

We have made the decision to close down the second depolyment site at this point and open additional data gathering sites.   We have completed 157 with a non sound lure location and 170 days with a sound lure location, both monitored by trail cameras.   The data from these camera has been collected using a 'fifteen minute' activation rule, that is if an activation occures within fifteen minutes it counts as part of a cluster.  We have also made the decision to count two possums as a single one for data collection purposes when it is evident that it is a mother and her baby, and to exclude domestic cats when they have been identified at a location.    The reason for the difference between days active has been the trail cameras operation or in instances when we have clearly seen possums damage the set up, in particular flipping over the solar panel, or there has been charging or battery issues with the cameras.   Due to the nature of the location and the fact it has been located on private property we have not been able to acceess it everyday to check the solar panels or cameras.    

Non sound lure location.   Set up with a Timms possum trap and rat box.   Was monitored from September 2020 to February 2021 for a total of 157 days.    During this time there were 89 animals that were seen on the camera, two of these were a local domestic cat and four of them were possum babies at a time they were been carried by their mothers.    The ratio of animals during this time was 0.52 that is a animal (which was almost exclusively possum) was detected every second day or so.  At this site we removed two rats.    There were 265 total activations (photographs) for a ratio of 1.69.

Sound Lure Location.   Set up with a Timms possum trap and rat box.    Was monitored from September 2020 to February 2021 for a duration of 170 days.   During this time there were 136 animals that were documented on camera.    The ratio of animals during this time was 0.80.    At this site we removed seven rats and a hedgehog.   Of note - six of these removals came during the first three weeks of the deployment when the sound lure was placed inside the rat box, this is something that we will be investigating further, at a variety of sites.    There were 650 activations in the form of camera shots at this location of pest animals.    This equated to a ratio of 3.8 photos per day.    

Therefore the sound lure had a ratio of animals of 0.80 compared to 0.52 at the non sound lure location.  The rate of photos at the sound lure location was 3.8 and at the non sound lure location was 1.69.

The Timms possum traps were activated at both locations a number of times but did not result in catches of animals, we are lookng at working to address this moving forward.    We are now going to move forward to having monitored locations with monitoring taking place to see if the trends shown above are replicated at other locations.  We also intend to further investigate the aspect of the sound lure working in conjunction with a rat box, with the sound coming from outside the rat box.

Although they did not wish to be identified directly we would like to express our extreme gratitude to the local farming family that allowed this monitoring on their property to occur for this length of time.