Stoat Focus For 2023: Unit Evaluation Three Months On...

At the end of 2022 we started a long term deployment of units located at a area of trapping protecting a coastal area in South Taranaki.

The area has a considerable existing network and is having recorded captures in the past of stoats, hedgehogs, rats and feral cats.

In December 2022 we placed four units in an extension of this area.   The purpose of deploying the units was to again test the viability and reliability of the units during a long term deployment.   Once this deployment is completed we will spend time evaluating the effectiveness of the units and comparing this years data against the significant amount of historical data that is available.  

Of particular interest in this environment is the units being exposed to conditions that are coastal and the effect that it potentially would have on the effectiveness of the units.

As of March 2023 the units have now been deployed for just shy of three months.   The four units were placed inside three DOC 200s and a fourth was placed inside a rat box, as it was placed next to a larger cat trap where it could not be mounted.

All of the units are cycling through a two minutes delay have a regulation set up and battery save coded and are using the regulation batteries.        Three months into the trial the units are continuing to operate independently (that is they are still operating exactly as expected) and have done so without being altered or redeployed.   This is despite extremely wet weather with considerable rainfall.

We also have anecdotal evidence of increased feral cat presence at one of the trapping sites.   While we are not at a position to make comparisons of data at this point, this is obviously potentially encouraging and would fall in line with some of our earlier findings at different locations (where when cameras have been deployed we have clearly seen feral [and domestic] cats showing an interest in the units/sound.