Predator Free Mt. Vic is a backyard trapping group covering the suburbs of Mt. Victoria, Oriental Bay, Roseneath and Hataitai. This community led initiative is working alongside other predator free community groups around the city, to help bring back the dawn chorus to Wellington.
The work began with Mt Victoria Vermin Trappers in the town belt reserve land of Mt Victoria. With the catchcry “Victory over Vermin”, guidance and advice from Wellington City Council, and funding from the Rotary Club of Wellington, since October 2016 they have cleared over 2,400 pest species, including 11 weasels. They’ve noticed a big increase in bird life already, with sightings of tūī, kākā, and even kārearea/ NZ falcon now becoming common.
We now want to broaden this protective circle out to include homes in the suburbs surrounding Matairangi/Mt Victoria, so have created this backyard group. For a small koha, we will be providing traps enclosed in child and pet safe trapping boxes, with lots of regular tips and support. We are very grateful that the Rotary Club of Wellington is keen to extend it’s support to assist in the establishment of this group.
By getting involved and trapping introduced predators in your backyard you can actively contribute to the return of native wildlife to our beautiful city. If you are keen to join us and be part of an exciting movement in conservation, please call Paul Touhey on 0204 300 400 or email [Enable JavaScript to view protected content], and we’ll be in touch soon.
