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An hour at the 'Trap & Bait Hub Day’

Free Traps and Baits, Hub Day, Predator Free Franklin -

“Living life in awe”, says Anjali – A marketing specialist at Connovation. Hailing from one of the busiest cities in the world where describing her life as ‘fast-paced’ would be an understatement to now being a seedling in the Conservation Industry in New Zealand, she is astonished by it all.

 

Predator Free Franklin truck loaded with free traps and baits

Truckload of free traps and baits

 

Anjali, represented Connovation at ‘The Hub’ yesterday (26th January 2022) – an initiative by Predator Free Franklin where free baits and traps were given to a number of households. ‘The Hub’ was held at Farrell’s Nursery at Pukekohe and people from various parts of South Auckland flocked over.

 

The Hub organised by Predator Free Franklin

The Hub stand at Farrell's Nursery, Pukekohe

 

She was amazed at quite a few things from the time she drove into the nursery. “I was fortunate to interact with Andrew Sinclair, Andy Saunders and Catherine Bircher. They are such enthusiastic conservationists and have motivated me in so many ways”.

Andrew Sinclair, the organizer of ‘The Hub’ gave her a holistic view of their activities that they’ve been doing at Predator Free Franklin. What took her by surprise was the Cage Trap. The Cage trap is a newly introduced trap by Predator Free Franklin that comes with sensors. Andrew emphasized on the ease of using this trap especially if one doesn’t have enough time to check on them every day. “Lures are kept in the cage and the pests are attracted to it. The moment they land in the centre of the cage, the end doors close, and the sensor detects this. It then communicates with the household through the Trap.NZ app, and also by sending an email. The member would know that they’ve now got to clear the trap”, says Andrew.

 

Predator Cage Trap

The Sensor Cage Trap with Automatic Lure Dispenser

 

Andy is the silent man behind all the tech initiatives carried out at Predator Free Franklin. He introduced her to trap.nz – a website that helps one record and understand predator control activities in any area across the country. From finding projects to displaying trap lines in areas, they live track it all. The most interesting concept was how Andy could see a single trap blinking within the WhiriWhiri area trap network, which meant there was a pest trapped just this morning. This is an incredible concept and is sure to go a long way in the conservation industry.

 

Catherine interacting with community members

The team interacting with community members

 

Catherine looked after the free traps and baits and engaged with customers. She, along with her team would introduce new baits and traps and guide them on how to use it. They also assist with installation and other help needed in the area.            

     

Catherine Bircher giving away a free trap

    Catherine Bircher giving away a rat bait station and explaining its benefits and use

 

This team of organisers are super passionate about what they’re doing and were totally working in-line towards a Predator Free 2050. Anjali quotes, “Until the very end, there were heaps of learning from these great influencers and of course it was wonderful to see people first-hand, how much they are enthusiastically involved into saving their wildlife”.

The team encourages the community to record their trappings on trap.nz for the benefit of the whole country at large. The easy way of doing this is through the ‘Equipment’. For more information on the ‘Equipment’ project, please refer to the steps in the image below.

 

Information on the Equipment project

 

The Trap and Bait Hub Day takes place every month. Stay tuned for more information on the next Hub Day here. Let’s all unite against the predators in Aotearoa and Predator Free 2050 will be a much-deserved win for our native species.  

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