Recent Projects
2050: Predator Free Aotearoa
Zimmerman Gallery Palmerston North
February to March 2023
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In New Zealand we have four species of rats. First came the Kiore with Polynesian explorers and once was widespread across Aotearoa before European settlement and is now confined to Fiordland and many offshore islands. The Norway Rat was introduced in the 18th century and is common in wet habitats, urban areas and offshore islands. The Ship rat is widespread throughout New Zealand after being introduced in the North Island in 1860s and South island in the 1890s, this rat has thrived here and continues to be an ongoing problem, especially when it comes to managing our native species population and protecting them from declining numbers and extinction. Lastly, we have the common house mouse also a problem for our native species. In New York they also have a rodent issue and that has led to the research and development into humane pest control methods using oral contraceptives to alter hormones in rodents which decreases their fertility. |
ContraPest is a contraceptive powder for rodents and is being marketed as a modern pain free way to reduce rat populations from people’s homes and businesses over time without harming the rat, and letting it live out its normal lifespan existence, but just taking away the ability to breed in vast numbers. It is as easy as sprinkling the low-risk powder onto food bait deployed in child and dog safe devices. The rats consume this willingly and it changes their hormones for up to a year, lessening the rate of new litters and dramatically reducing the population of new rats; just two rats reproducing can be responsible for up to 15,000 descendants according to the homepage information on the Contrapest website and that is an infestation indeed!
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Let us be clear that this is not the same as the Trojan Female technique of gene editing which render their male offspring infertile which is also a card on the table of scientific options for pest control methods being explored here in New Zealand as well as species specific poison which targets one pest group. The fertility treatment option by Contrapest is being closely followed but so far is not in the running as a pest control method here. It targets the Norway rat and Ship rat species, which could be of great use here in New Zealand to control rat populations if it was used in the way it has been designed, which is out of reach of pets and children; but could it be dispensed safely in the native bush and surrounding public areas without affecting our biodiversity is the question? What are the adverse risks or effects?
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The Predator Free Aotearoa 2050 target is less than 30 years away, which doesn’t seem that far off if you consider how long we have been trying to manage invasive introduced species in Aotearoa. The main way we have managed pests over the years in New Zealand has been to mistakenly introduce new species such as stoats to control rabbit populations, as well as some foreign birds such as the yellowhammer and magpie to control insects for the agricultural industry, but more commonly known and still in use today is trapping, shooting and controversial registered poisons. However, advances in science and technology could change the way we manage pests in the coming years with methods such as gene editing, pest specific bait and fertility control. Information, research, and time is what is needed here to make an informed choice, but the clock is ticking and predator free by 2050 is just around the corner.
This exhibition runs from 2nd of February until 26 February 2023 at Zimmermann Gallery in Palmerston North. There is 100 rat heads on a wall display which accompanies these works and will be photographed and uploaded soon. Thank you for supporting New Zealand artists! |
Previous Collections
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