Predator Free Wellington: The Mission to Create the World’s First Predator-Free Capital City.

Tonight's Episode

In Episode 73 of the Pest Perspectives Podcast, Shaun Muller is joined by Emma from Predator Free Wellington in New Zealand for a fascinating conversation about one of the world’s most ambitious urban predator eradication projects.

Predator Free Wellington is working towards removing introduced predators including rats, mustelids and possums from New Zealand’s capital city, helping protect native wildlife and allowing threatened species to recover.

Emma explains how the project operates across an urban environment, working directly with residents, volunteers and local communities to establish extensive networks of bait stations, traps and monitoring devices.

The conversation explores the challenges of controlling and eradicating rats in a city, including alternative food sources, neophobic behaviour, bait and trap avoidance, access to private properties and the difficulty of locating the final remaining animals once populations have been significantly reduced.

Shaun and Emma also discuss why trapping alone may not always be enough to achieve eradication, the role of toxic bait alongside traps, the use of DOC 200 traps, trail cameras, detection dogs, chew cards, tracking tunnels and automated lure systems.

Emma explains how data plays a major role in the project, with captured animals examined to help build a better understanding of local populations, including age, sex, breeding status and genetics.

The episode also looks beyond pest control and into the wider impact of the programme. Predator removal has helped native bird populations recover, while community involvement has brought residents and volunteers together around a shared conservation goal.

Topics discussed include:

• Predator Free Wellington and Predator Free 2050
• Urban rat eradication
• Integrated pest management
• Rat trapping and toxic bait
• DOC 200 traps
• Neophobic and difficult-to-catch rats
• Trail cameras and pest monitoring
• Rat detection dogs
• Chew cards and tracking tunnels
• Automated lure systems
• Community engagement in pest management
• Protecting New Zealand’s native wildlife
• Non-target species and humane pest control
• Data-led pest management
• The future of predator-free cities

This is a fascinating episode for pest management professionals, conservationists, wildlife specialists and anyone interested in how large-scale pest eradication can be achieved in complex urban environments.

Can an entire capital city really become predator free?

Predator Free Wellington is working to prove that it can.

Any predator free wellington questions email - [email protected]

The ‘contact us’ page on our website also links our social media accounts - https://www.pfw.org.nz/our-project/contact-us/

For the blue print click the link below

Our urban predator free blueprint (2024) • Predator Free Wellington

#ADPest Perspectives Podcast is proudly sponsored by Powered Now, helping trade and service businesses manage jobs, quotes, invoices, scheduling and reporting. https://powerednow.com/

⁠Pest Perspectives Podcast is a UK pest control podcast hosted by Shaun Muller of Oakham Pest Control Ltd. The show features practical conversations with pest control technicians, business owners, suppliers and industry experts, covering rodent control, drainage investigations, bee removal, bed bugs, wasps, commercial pest management, compliance, business growth and wider pest industry topics.Listen, watch and learn more at: ⁠https://www.pestperspectivespodcast.co.uk⁠

Pest Perspectives sponsor opportunities

⁠https://www.pestperspectivespodcast.co.uk/media-kit/⁠