Pest Free Kaipātiki’s annual chew card campaign is the largest urban reserve monitoring survey of its kind in Auckland. Starting on 26 July and running until 5 August 2024, we’ll survey up to 42 reserves in Kaipātiki to monitor predator presence and abundance.
The survey is now in its eighth year! See past survey results here.
Why We Monitor
To identify and understand predator abundance in Kaipātiki.
To target areas for predator control, ensuring safe habitats for native species.
To track our progress and plan effective pest control strategies.
Our Journey
This is our eighth year of monitoring, and it wouldn't be possible without the incredible support from our community volunteers. Each year, many volunteers help to lay out and collect chew cards, making this a fun and easy way to engage in citizen science.
What are Chew Cards?
Chew cards help us identify the presence of rats, stoats, possums, and hedgehogs in our parks. Chew cards are small pieces of core flute impregnated with peanut butter. These are attached 30 cm above the ground and predators can't resist nibbling, chewing or crushing the cards to extract the peanut butter. This leaves behind distinctive bite marks that reveal which animals are present, enabling us to target our resources to better protect our environment from these pests.
We’ll be sharing the results from this years’ survey once we’ve analysed the cards!
Thank You to Our Supporters
This vital work is only possible thanks to the volunteers who sign up each year and the generous sponsorship from the @Kaipātiki Local Board and the @Birkenhead Licensing Trust.
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