Meet the AT220 – set it up and they’re ready to go to service itself on its own!

As much as we enjoy being immersed in nature, walking through hectares of ngahere to reset and rebait traps can require a lot of time and labour.

This kiwi-designed product by NZ Autotraps helps solve the challenge of manually having to reset traps, which is great for areas that are tricky to reach. Once a possum pokes its head in for the lure, a sensor, which is programmed only to work during the night, sets off the trap with great force. The trap will automatically reset itself, releasing the predator caught and ready for its next catch.

The AT220s are equipped with an automatic mayonnaise dispenser as bait for the possums. The non-meat based lure is used so that non-target species do not interfere. As they can operate for up to 100 cycles without the need for a visit from staff, thanks to the built-in long lasting battery, this makes them suitable for placement in areas that are difficult to access regularly or require longer servicing intervals.

The traps have passed NAWAC (National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee) testing guidelines for humane trapping of possums and ship rats in 2019.

Given their high-tech abilities these traps do come at a much higher cost.

Watch this time-lapse of the AT220 resetting itself back for its next catch! This takes around 3 minutes in real-time.

April 8, 2022