Volunteer stories: A walk in the park checking traps

The fantastic Rhododendron Dell team: From left: Elijah, Ellen, Anna and Rebecca.

We couldn’t do our work without the help of a team of dedicated volunteers who generously give their time to the project. Elijah is one of our trap line volunteers and today shares more about why he volunteers.

What line do you check?

The Rhododendron Dell line in the upper Botanic Gardens.

How long have you been volunteering with City Sanctuary?

Since November 2021. So exactly 4 beautiful seasons.

Can you describe your line?

To and fro the colourful, curated lawn of the Azalea Garden and into the wild bushes of the Rhododendron Dell itself. Bound to get some mud most days due to the shade and also a bit of elevation gain. Basically, an hour-long walk in the park!

What motivated you want to start volunteering?

I had just graduated from uni and wanted something to do that’s different from physics equations and math. When I received an email calling for volunteers in the Botanical Gardens, it was – at the risk of sounding dramatic – serendipitous.

Throughout most of my uni life, I lived in North East Valley and enjoyed strolling through the lower gardens every morning on the way to campus, and back home through the upper gardens in the evening. Now that I’ve moved somewhere else, I’m glad to have the opportunity to keep a part of that life too.

Left: Elijah with a mouse catch. Right: Scenic views wandering through Rhodo Dell line.

How do you stay in touch with your other crew members?

We primarily use an app called Heja which was suggested by a team member. It features scheduling, messages and very handy reminders whenever I have a slot coming up.

Have you had any special wildlife encounters on your trap line?

I once opened the lid of a Trapinator and out launched a tiny mouse towards me. I myself shot off my boots which in turn blasted the mouse back into the bushes. 

I now give a little tap on the trap and listen in case there’s another Jack-in-the-box.

 Any other funny stories to share?

Early on, there was a Victor trap that consistently had bait being eaten without triggering. This drove me and one other teammate nuts. Even months later when other traps started occasionally missing bait too (I assume it might be due to fewer rats, so there are now more mice which are harder to catch), we irrationally still fixated on that one trap. After almost a year of lamenting and scheming on how to catch the culprit, another team mate reported that we finally caught a mouse in that trap! Hurrah, we won!

… unfortunately the bait still seems to go missing every time I check.

What species would you like to see flourishing again on your trap line?

I’m not informed or have lived in Dunedin long enough to know if any species were in decline or if they’ve stopped appearing in the dell. Regardless, it would be lovely to have more voices alongside the current pīwakawaka, korimako, tui and kereru birdsong. Also don’t know if they’re meant to be here, but wētās would be cool, too.

A friendly pīwakawaka/fantail on the line.