Just 36 hours after traps were set, more than half a tonne of noxious pests have been caught in a pest control programme at a Rotorua tourist attraction.
A network of pest-specific, humane traps have been set up by staff at Rotorua Canopy Tours, with the Department of Conservation (DOC), at the attraction's site in dense native bush near Rotorua.
Rotorua Canopy Tours director James Fitzgerald said in 36 hours traps had caught half a tonne of pests saying it was a promising start to the programme.
Their target is three tonnes across the week-long effort which coincides with Conservation Week ending on September 15.
Mr Fitzgerald said the 376 pests were predominantly made up of possums (95), rats (261), stoats (4) and mice (16), species which all contribute to native bird deaths across the country.