Barrie Hits 2000th Pest Milestone!

Barrie Winn with his pest-graveyard cake crafted by Robyn Richardson, photo credit A Ewing

A noteworthy milestone today: 2000 pests caught since our project kicked off last June!

Very fittingly, Barrie, one of our dedicated volunteers, snagged the 2000th pest—a possum—using a Flipping Timmy trap on the gully edge of his property. Barrie was one of the first local gully owners to embrace our Waikato Regional Council-funded possum traps, and has since become a committed trapper. To date, he has successfully trapped 32 possums and at least 20 rats in his gully section, significantly contributing to our overarching goal of creating predator-free gullies in Tamahere.

To mark the 2000th pest occasion, committee member and fellow volunteer Robyn Richardson crafted a pest-graveyard cake for Barrie. Our focus isn't on celebrating the act of killing but rather on recognising the efforts invested in protecting our native wildlife.

Congratulations, Barrie! A heartfelt thanks from all of us for your hard work and ongoing dedication. Here's to a future where introduced pests have minimal impact on our community and surroundings. Achieving 2000 fewer pests is a noteworthy milestone towards this.