Rabbit Cull Exposes ‘Panthers’ in Okiwi
Environmental News Issue 21 Summer-Autumn 2010
Ditch - a little bleary-eyed
after 20 nights on the job.
Photo: David Speir
Pest Contractor Paul “Ditch” Keeling has been culling rabbits in the Okiwi (and elsewhere) for a few weeks now. Over the 20 night shoots he has removed 3528 rabbits and 15 cats. The male cats shown are among the largest seen in Okiwi in recent years.
“Night shooting as ongoing rabbit control will also facilitate eradicating these mature trap-shy animals. Evidence gathered NZ wide shows that the most successful and important breeding wildcats are the least likely to be removed by traditional trapping methodologies” he said.
Cat trapping by DoC in the Okiwi basin is limited to specific trap types because of the potential to harm brown teal ducks.