Homegrown pest trap saving native birds and forest

Homegrown pest control technology is being credited with helping protect native forest, and save endangered native birds.

Rat populations are now at undetectable levels, in large-scale trials of automatic resetting traps developed by Wellington company Goodnature.

Its director, Stu Barr, hopes the technology could help save our most at-risk native species.

"Our native birds evolved without any predators like rats, or stoats or possums. So they're completely vulnerable, and without controlling these introduced pests we're going to lose some of our species in no time at all.

"Some of them have already gone, and it won't be long before we lose the rest if we don't do something about it."

The trials of the new patented automatic trap are taking place on Department of Conservation sites around the country.

Stu Barr says it's powered by a little gas canister and can automatically reset up to 24 times.

"The first rat comes along, it smells the bait, it goes up to investigate it, the trap gets set off.

Read this article:
Homegrown pest trap saving native birds and forest