'The Black Trakka™ was developed to meet the need for a system that would provide an accurate recorded image of the footprints of mammalian species. The New Zealand Department of Conservation uses monitoring as a tool to determine presence or absence of a range of animal predatory species. Indexes of relative abundance of some of these species can be determined using collated monitoring data.With this monitoring data decisions can be made to intervene in the control of predatory species through trapping and poisoning where it is assumed the predatory species are having an unacceptable impact on the natural ecosystem.

 

I became aware of inadequacies in the DoC monitoring system when a group working on a kaka, kereru programme in the Whirinaki Forest rented a house from me as a base for the four years of their study.The group from time to time used the standard DoC tracking tunnel system. They found the system cumbersome, unreliable, and difficult to use without the operators hands becoming discoloured by the die used for recording tracks.I was told by one senior DoC worker that when the possum eradication programme was being developed on Rangitoto tracking tunnels were wheeled to sites in a barrow.

They could fill a barrow with 10 DoC tunnels.There was also a cost factor of the labour involved in the construction of tunnels which have a timber base 500mm by 100mm by 20mm. To this is nailed a section of coreflute which then creates a tunnel 500mm by 10mm by100mm.Inside this tunnel is placed a specially molded plastic tray. These trays have to be purchased and have a value of about $8.00. The tray is formed so as to have a well in the centre and this is about 100mm by150mm. Into this well is placed a sponge and the well is filled with food colouring dye. At either end of the plastic tray a strip of brown paper is placed and it is on these strips of paper that footprints of animals are recorded.

The DoC protocol calls for the tracking to be carried out on fine nights.I first raised the need for a tracking programme within city environments at a meeting to which I had been invited by the DoC Stoat Technical Advisory Team in April 2000. It was at this meeting which was attended by some 70 scientists that I proposed a monitoring programme to be known as The Find Out Campaign.The idea was to take monitoring of predatory mammals into schools by providing tracking tunnels and instruction in their use. The DoC was to provide $30,000 toward this programme.I knew I could not expect teachers to build tracking tunnels. Further I believed there was a need to improve the system of recording tracks. The track images obtained by using food colouring could be blurred and difficult even for DoC staff to interpret.So I began working on a new tunnel.

It needed to be lightweight and provide monitoring in all weathers.