Kea are ground nesters. As such they are vulnerable to predation by introduced predators, particularly stoats and possums, during their breeding period. Kea are also ground feeders, and adults of both sexes may be ambushed by stoats and feral cats while foraging.
While pest control is effective at reducing introduced predators which predate on our threatened wildlife, the benefit of using pest control may be offset when unsafe pest control devices are deployed, resulting in the unintentional by-kill or injury of kea.
The purpose of the Safe Pest Control in Kea Habitat document is to reduce injury or death of kea by identifying which ground-based pest control devices are and are not safe for use within kea habitat and to provide safety recommendations for their use.
Please note this is a live document which is regularly updated as new information is received. If you find any evidence of kea interfering with any traps or ground-based baits (including finding dead or injured kea on your trapping lines), please contact us immediately with details and photos so that we can update the manual.
