The Quail Island story - thirteen years of multi-species pest control: successes, failures and lessons learnt

Abstract

Quail Island (Ōtamahua) is an 85 ha island in Lyttelton Harbour, Banks Peninsula, New Zealand. Since 1997, community volunteers have eradicated rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), cats (Felis catus), hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus), and ship rats (Rattus rattus) from the island as preliminary steps towards ecological restoration. At present, a network of traps on the adjacent mainland and a stepping-stone island successfully intercepts mustelids and other unwanted vertebrate pests en route to Quail Island. However, the public use of the island, its close proximity to, and inter-tidal link with, the mainland makes this island a significant risk to reinvasion, particularly by rodents. Lessons learnt from 13 years of pest work are outlined.