Invasive species predation is one of the main drivers of endemic extinction in island ecosystems. Rodents and more specifically rats have been implicated in reduced female, juvenile, and nestling survival of Kauaʻi’s forest birds. In response to this threat, KFBRP deploys A-24 traps to control rodent populations in key forest bird habitat. In order to determine the efficacy of the management strategy, cameras are attached to a subset of these traps. The cameras monitor wildlife that interacts with the traps and provides additional information for scientists. However, these cameras take a lot of pictures. These photos must then be sorted for presence or absence of wildlife, species, location, type of interaction, time, and other metrics.
Watch the video below to find out what type of wildlife may interact with our traps. If you are interested in volunteering please contact us. If you are interested in learning more about invasive species, rat predation, or predator control, check out our reports and publications page.
Monika Mira