In order to monitor the progress and success of the Atiwhakatu Trapping Project and Project Kaka at Donnelly Flat we carry out regular monitors, generally two to three times a year.
Atiwhakatu Rat Monitor
In the approximately 1,000ha area of the Atiwhakatu Trapping Project we have 8 randomly placed monitor lines. In each line we have placed 10 plastic tunnels at 25 metre intervals, these remain in place all year round. During a monitor we put a piece of cardboard, with an inked section in the middle and clear sections at either end, in each tunnel and leave it overnight. Any pest, or insect, that walks through the tunnel will leave their prints on the card. The prints can then be identified when the card has been collected.
The number of cards with rat, or mice, prints does not provide an exact count of the pests, but does give us an indication of how many there are around. If 90% of the cards show rat prints, we have a lot of rats (not good!). If 3% of the cards show rats, that is low, and good.

Over time, following a number of monitors, we hope a trend will show of pest numbers going down, although there may be “blips” along the way.
The results for the Atiwhakatu monitor are published in the below table:
Key:
- NR = No record
- R = Rat
- M = Mouse
- I = Insect
Monitor | 8/5/2017 | 2/8/2018 | 6/23/2018 | 10/6/2018 | 1/5/2019 | 5/4/2019 | 2/15/2020 | 9/19/2020 | 5/1/2021 |
Tunnel | |||||||||
AV 1 | |||||||||
1 | 0 | 0 | R+M+I | R | R+I | 0 | R | R | R |
2 | 0 | 0 | R+M+I | R | 0 | R | R | 0 | 0 |
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | R | I | I | R | I | 0 |
4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | I | 0 | R | R | 0 |
5 | 0 | R | R | 0 | I | R | R | R | 0 |
6 | 0 | 0 | I | 0 | R+I | 0 | R | R | 0 |
7 | 0 | 0 | NR | 0 | I | R | 0 | R | 0 |
8 | 0 | M | 0 | 0 | I | 0 | R | R | I |
9 | M | M | 0 | R | R+I | R | R | R | 0 |
10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | R | R+I | R | R | R | 0 |
AV 2 | |||||||||
1 | 0 | M | R+M+I | I | I | R | R | NR | 0 |
2 | 0 | M | R+M | M | M | R+I | 0 | NR | I |
3 | I | M | R+I | 0 | R | R+I | R | NR | 0 |
4 | 0 | R+M | R | R+I | R+I | R | R | NR | 0 |
5 | 0 | R+M | R+I | R+I | R | I | R | NR | 0 |
6 | 0 | M | R+M | R | I | R | R | R+I | 0 |
7 | 0 | R | I | R+I | I | R | R | 0 | 0 |
8 | I | 0 | R+I | R | R | R | R | I | 0 |
9 | R+M+I | R | R+I | R+I | R | 0 | R | 0 | 0 |
10 | I | R | R | R | R+I | R | R | I | 0 |
AV 3 | |||||||||
1 | 0 | M | R | R | R | R | R | R | 0 |
2 | 0 | M | R | R | R | R | R | R+M | 0 |
3 | I | M | 0 | R+I | R | R | 0 | 0 | 0 |
4 | I | 0 | R | R | R+I | R | R | 0 | 0 |
5 | I | I | R+I | R | R+I | R | R | 0 | 0 |
6 | 0 | R+I | R | R | R+I | R | R | 0 | 0 |
7 | R+I | 0 | R | R | R+I | R | R | 0 | 0 |
8 | 0 | M | R+I | R+I | I | R | R | 0 | I |
9 | 0 | 0 | R | R | 0 | R | R | 0 | 0 |
10 | I | 0 | 0 | R | 0 | R | R | 0 | 0 |
AV 4 | |||||||||
1 | I | 0 | 0 | 0 | I | R+I | R | 0 | 0 |
2 | 0 | 0 | R+I | 0 | R+I | R | R | 0 | 0 |
3 | 0 | R | R | R | R | R | R | 0 | 0 |
4 | 0 | 0 | R+M | R | 0 | R+I | R | 0 | I |
5 | I | 0 | R+M | R | I | 0 | R | 0 | 0 |
6 | I | 0 | R | R+I | R | R+I | R | I | I |
7 | I | 0 | R+I | R+I | R+I | R+I | R | 0 | 0 |
8 | I | 0 | R+I | R | R+I | 0 | R | I | 0 |
9 | I | 0 | R | R | R | I | R | 0 | I |
10 | I | 0 | R+I | R | R+I | 0 | R | 0 | 0 |
AV 5 | |||||||||
1 | 0 | R+M+I | I | 0 | I | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2 | I | I | R+I | 0 | I | 0 | I | 0 | I |
3 | 0 | 0 | I | I | I | R | 0 | 0 | 0 |
4 | I | 0 | I | A | I | R | R | 0 | M |
5 | I | 0 | 0 | 0 | I | R | R | 0 | I |
6 | I | 0 | 0 | R | I | I | R | I | 0 |
7 | 0 | 0 | I | R | 0 | R | R | 0 | 0 |
8 | 0 | 0 | I | R | 0 | R | R | 0 | I |
9 | 0 | M | I | R+I | 0 | R | I | 0 | 0 |
10 | 0 | 0 | I | 0 | I | R | R | 0 | I |
AV6 | |||||||||
1 | 0 | 0 | I | R+I | R+I | R | R | 0 | 0 |
2 | I | 0 | R+I | R+I | R+I | R | R | 0 | R |
3 | I | 0 | R | R+I | R+I | R | R | R | 0 |
4 | 0 | R | R+I | R+I | R+I | R | R | 0 | 0 |
5 | I | 0 | R | R | R+I | R | R | 0 | 0 |
6 | I | I | R | R+I | R | R | R | R | 0 |
7 | I | R | R+I | R | R | R | R | R | 0 |
8 | I | 0 | R+I | R | R+I | R+I | R | 0 | 0 |
9 | I | I | R+I | R+I | R | R | R | R | I |
10 | I | I | R | R | 0 | R | R | R+I | 0 |
AV7 | |||||||||
1 | I | 0 | I | 0 | I | R | R | R | I |
2 | 0 | R | I | R+I | I | 0 | R | R | R |
3 | I | 0 | 0 | 0 | I | R | R | R | I |
4 | I | 0 | R+I | A | I | R | I | 0 | I |
5 | I | 0 | I | R+I | I | R | R | I | 0 |
6 | I | I | I | R+M | I | R | R | 0 | R |
7 | I | 0 | I | I | I | R | R+M | 0 | I |
8 | 0 | I | 0 | I | I | 0 | I | 0 | I |
9 | I | 0 | I | 0 | I | I | R | R | I |
10 | 0 | R | 0 | 0 | I | 0 | R | R+M | 0 |
AV 8 | |||||||||
1 | I | I | I | 0 | I | 0 | R | 0 | I |
2 | 0 | I | R+I | R+I | R+I | R | I | R | R |
3 | 0 | I | R | R+I | R+I | R | R | R | 0 |
4 | I | R+I | R+I | R+I | R+I | R | R | I | I |
5 | I | R+I | 0 | R | R+I | R | R | R+I | 0 |
6 | I | I | R+I | R+I | R+I | R | R | R | I |
7 | 0 | I | I | R+I | I | 0 | R | 0 | I |
8 | I | I | I | R | R+I | 0 | R | 0 | 0 |
9 | I | 0 | I | R | R | R | R | 0 | I |
10 | 0 | 0 | R+I | R | R+I | R | I | I | 0 |
Totals | |||||||||
No. of cards with Rats indicated | 2 | 15 | 45 | 56 | 41 | 59 | 69 | 25 | 5 |
No. of cards with Mice indicated | 2 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 |
No. of cards with Insects indivated | 28 | 14 | 44 | 28 | 57 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 22 |
% of cards showing Rats | 3 | 19 | 56 | 71 | 51 | 74 | 86 | 33 | 6 |
% cards showing Mice | 3 | 17 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 |
% of cards showing Insects | 35 | 16 | 55 | 35 | 70 | 15 | 8 | 3 | 27 |
Donnelly Flat Monitor
In the Donnelly Flat area of roughly 60 hectares we have randomly placed five monitor lines. Each line has five plastic tunnels set at 25 metre intervals which remain in place year round.
The results of the Donnelly Flat monitors are published below:
Donnelly Flat Monitoring results from 25 cards | |||
Number of cards indicating species: | |||
Rats | Mice | Insects | |
31/08/2016 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
2/11/2017 | 4 | 3 | 15 |
31/03/2018 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
28/06/2018 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
19/10/2018 | 5 | 1 | 13 |
01/03/19 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
5/20/2019 | 9 | 0 | 1 |
2/15/2020 | 10 | 7 | 9 |
9/8/2020 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
4/29/2021 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
