Smelling a rat - dogs help sniff out river bird threats
Dogs are playing an important role in helping protect braided river birds along the Ashley River/Rakahuri, by sniffing out rats.
The Norway rat is a major threat to precious bird species including ngutu parore/wrybills, tūturiwhatu/banded dotterels, tarapirohe/black-fronted terns, and tarāpuka/black-billed gulls.
Not only do the rats eat eggs and young chicks but they can also frighten the fully fledged birds, causing them to abandon their nests.
In 2023 we funded the use of two rat detection dogs and a dog handler along the south side of the river. The aim was to hunt out rat colonies before the rodents could attack eggs and chicks.
The dogs proved their worth, so much so that the Ashley/Rakahuri Rivercare Group (ARRG) wanted its own ‘rat dog’. ARRG operations manager Grant Davey was keen to get a new pet anyway, so decided to find one that could catch rats.
Rats and traps
Evie – a Welsh springer spaniel – has been concentrating on the stretch of river between Rangiora Airfield and railway bridge. She carefully sniffs around the piles of driftwood and logs that can be concealing rats and has helped catch 18 rats in recent months. ARRG has invested in GPS gear for her. Read more about Evie on the ARRG website.
Grant said the results have been surprising.
“Evie and I have mainly been working out on the river, where I didn’t expect to find rats at this time of year. Normally they leave the fairway when the birds leave.
“The rats are usually hiding under logs and they’re hard to get out. There’s only one place where she’s found some and we were able to kill them on the spot – the rest were killed by traps we laid down after Evie indicated that rats were there. She’s also finding mice.”
Evie and her rats
Protecting precious habitat
Braided rivers in Canterbury/Waitaha, in particular the Ashley/Rakahuri River, are also the nesting grounds for many other rare birds that have migrated from all over the world.
Our land management and biodiversity advisor James Schaap is pleased to see dogs added to the protection ‘toolkit’.
“As well as catching rats, the dogs help build a picture of the rats’ behaviour - such as the type of debris they’re nesting in, and how long they’re nesting for.”
We are continuing to support ARRG’s work by funding bait stations, which are being used in tandem with predator traps along an 8km section of river.
All up, 114 rats have been caught along the river since August 2023 – including the 18 that Evie detected, 30 at a rat colony that was stumbled upon, and 66 through a mix of permanent and temporary traps.
In 2023, we helped fund the services of dog handler Leona Kirk and pups Bail and Katie