Contributed by Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre
Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre has revamped their gift shop and it now contains an exciting new addition, the Trap Shop.
An essential part of the restoration project at Pūkaha is predator and pest control including trapping. The goal is to restore the mauri (life essence) of the ngahere (forest). Pests such as stoats, ferrets, possums, rats, mice, and hedgehogs are a constant threat in the Reserve and surrounding areas.
Visitors can now control predators and pests at their own place with traps purchased from Pūkaha. Setting traps on private properties can go a long way towards helping conservation of our local wildlife such as birds, skinks, geckos and weta.
Pūkaha stocks various options, including the Supervisor Max from New Zealand company Envirotools which is designed to keep pets and children safe around the trap. Pūkaha also stocks the Envirotools Roof Cat trap which is placed in a building’s roof space to catch rats and mice. Roofs are the number one breeding location for rodents. The Trap Shop also stocks trail cameras, baits, chew cards (for monitoring) and servicing tools.
General Manager Emily Court says: “It’s fantastic that Pūkaha can share our knowledge in pest and predator control with more people, working towards Predator Free 2050. Our staff are trained to help first-time trappers choose the best trap to solve their particular pest problem. Traps make a great present for those people passionate about conservation who are motivated to make a positive difference to our environment.”
