Simone Smits News Today

Hatching rates for many of the Mackenzie Basin’s rare birds have greatly improved because of a predator control initiative.

Smits was not surprised at the rate of predator catching. “When youre dealing with an area as big as we are, which goes from the mountain ranges to the braided riverbeds, it’s not surprising you’re going to get a lot of predators. “But 10,000 predator catches means 10,000 more opportunities for native birds and lizards to survive and thrive.” Smits said hedgehogs were “surprisingly difficult” to catch, due to their large homing range. “We first thought they would be...