Say cheese! We’ve been using smart image technology to help us determine the presence of possums in the Whangārei Heads area.

Thanks to the help from the team at Bream Head Conservation Trust, we’ve set up 36 motion detection cameras in Bream Head/Te Whara and Taurikura.

Each of these cameras are paired with an Automatic Lure Dispenser (ALD) that drips a pre-set amount of mayonnaise once every 24 hours. This means we have more efficiency in our kaimahi won’t have to manually service them.

At night, the dispensary attracts a range of predators. The protein-rich mayonnaise brings in possums, rats and stoats, which then prompts our cameras to capture images of the moving object in front of it.

It’s no surprise to find our native species were no strangers to these ALD’s either. We have been delighted to see the thriving kiwi population, thanks to the decades of efforts from Backyard Kiwi.

The latest data has shows that 60% of cameras in Taurikura have detected possums and 6% in Te Whara. 70% of the cameras in both areas have detected kiwi!

March 11, 2022