With autumn in full swing, it’s been an exciting and busy month for us here at Predator Free Russell. Despite some wild weather — torrential downpours, high winds, and of course, a cyclone — our amazing team of trappers pushed through everything Mother Nature threw at them.

April is typically a peak month for catches, as rats, possums, and stoats are on the move preparing for the colder winter months. Luckily for us (and unluckily for them!), we were ready and managed to catch many before they could settle in for winter.

A huge thank you to all our hard working trappers and volunteers — your dedication is making a real difference!

In April, we caught 47 rats in the Russell township zone — a high number, as expected. A huge help this month was having Sally and her incredible rat detection dogs, Rapu and Kimi, out in the field with us. They helped identify areas where rats were hiding out — sometimes in spots without trapping gear, or where our existing devices needed to be moved for better results.

April brought us a mix of catches in Tapeka — 4 rats, 1 possum, and 2 weasels were successfully trapped!  With 723 traps serviced across the area this month, these results are a positive reflection of the hard work going in on the ground. Reassuringly, Sally’s rat detection dogs did not pick up any scents of living rats in Tapeka.

April brought some interesting results for the Old Russell Peninsula, with 4 rats and 1 stoat caught. As typical, the rats were all found within 50–100 metres of the coastline — most likely swimmers! That said, we suspect a couple may have hitched a ride into the area over summer via boats and trailers. With 2,023 traps active across Te Wahapu and Okiato, these are relatively low numbers — and getting a stoat out of the area is always a big win!

Over the past couple of months, we received several reports from vigilant homeowners of rats spotted on CCTV cameras around their properties. These reports are super helpful as it enables us to respond immediately, set up devices, and in most cases, catch the culprit within just a few days.

If you see a rat, hedgehog or possum on or around your property, please don’t hesitate to report it by emailing Nik, our technical manager, nik@russelllandcare.org.nz or field manager Todd todd@russelllandcare.org.nz.

Some Russell Landcare Trust updates:

• The AGM was well attended last weekend, despite technological challenges and a sudden onset cold streak

• The website has undergone a metamorphosis! Check it out here.

• We doubled our membership over the past month – don’t want to miss out? Sign up here.

• Volunteer Wednesdays will continue on through the winter. If you are not on our Volunteer list yet, you can sign up here.

• Nursery build is progressing well – come check it out.

• Keep your eyes peeled for a theme night at the Pub in the winter, more details to follow.

Lastly, we want to humbly acknowledge the many, many generous donations we’ve received from the community. Every donation that comes in is a great boost for the team’s morale and allows us to complete our mahi, day in, day out.