10 Boffa Miskell Ltd | Pest Animal Management Plan | Wharekirauponga Compensation Package | 30 May 2022 terrestrial habitats in New Zealand, including pasture, scrub, exotic plantations, and native forest (King, 2005). Feral cats are excellent hunters and have been reported to kill and eat frogs in Australia and may be depredating New Zealand native frogs. Feral cats will be controlled throughout the WAPMA, primarily via trapping. As feral cats are also often poisoned when they scavenge rats, mice and possums or other animals that have been killed with baits containing ground laid and aerially dispersed 1080 or brodifacoum (Alterio, 1996; Nogales et al., 2004), secondary poisoning can be effective tool for feral cat control, particularly for trap shy individuals. The use of toxins via secondary poisoning to suppress feral cats within the project area will also be considered. Additionally, the toxin PAPP can be used for feral cat control if numbers are shown to be higher than proposed target thresholds (Sections 12.2 and 12.3) As feral cats are extremely mobile, they are capable of reinvading recently controlled areas within 3 months of a control operation (Doherty et al., 2021; Palmas et al., 2020), thus sustained control over large areas is important to keep the numbers low. 2.7 Feral pigs Feral pigs are present across the Wharekirauponga site (likely in moderate – high numbers), with rooting damage evident during site visits, including during frog surveys (K. Muchna, pers. comm. 2022). Pigs can have devastating impacts on local flora and fauna, particularly regenerating forest understorey or areas of revegetation by uprooting trees and saplings and eating native plants and invertebrates. Feral pigs eat a wide variety of food including grasses, roots, seeds, and other plant material, as well as carrion, invertebrates, and ground-nesting birds. Recent anecdotal evidence has shown pigs are likely to be opportunistic predators of frogs, with reports 10-15 frogs being found in the stomachs of three pigs (Emily Hotham, pers. comm. 2022). Feral pigs will be controlled across the WAPMA, primarily via shooting operations by experienced and licenced operators. Other forms of control (such as the toxin sodium nitrite), can also be used if pigs continue to be detected. As pigs are wide-ranging a buffer around the WAPMP has been established to enable optimised control and prevent reinvasion. 2.8 Goats Feral goats are also likely to be present in moderate numbers across the site. Goats are social animals, typically travelling in small groups comprising one male and a group of smaller females. Females are able to conceive year round, but mating activity tends to peak December/January and June/July, with usually one or two offspring produced per year. Goats are generalist herbivores that browse a wide variety of plant species but do prefer to feed on a small number of favoured species. Similar to feral pigs, goats destroy the understorey of vegetation and, when combined with possum damage to the upper canopy, can cause severe deterioration of native forests, often with associated pest plant invasion. Goats will also be controlled across the WAPMA, primarily via shooting operations by experienced and licenced operators.
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