EVALUATION OF 5 KILL TRAPS FOR EFFECTIVE CAPTURE AND KILLING OF AUSTRALIAN BRUSHTAIL POSSUMS (TRICHOSURUS-VULPECULA)

Five types of kill trap for possible use by professional possum trappe rs in New Zealand were tested for their potential to kill possums quic kly and for their capture efficiency. Traps were evaluated using the t esting requirements outlined in a draft International Trap Standard. T his involved sequential mechanical testing, pen testing with free-movi ng possums, and field testing. The Banya and Lokaasklem traps failed t he mechanical evaluation because of insufficient impact momentum and c lamping force; pen testing failed the Conibear 160 because insufficien t possums were killed; and field testing failed the BMI 160 because in sufficient possums were struck on the target location. The LDL 101 tra p was the only one of the five traps to pass all three test stages. Th e ISO draft standard therefore provides a rigorous testing procedure t hat most kill traps currently available in New Zealand would not pass. However, because one trap did pass, it is clearly possible to develop kill traps to meet the standard and which also could compete realisti cally as capture-efficient alternatives to leg-hold traps.