Download Rabbit Cage Trapping - Conditions, Procedures

Rabbit Cage Trapping Conditions Agreement
As a condition to borrowing Mosman Council’s Rabbit Cage Trap, the operator
must:
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Abide by the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979, including:
placing the cage in a sheltered position, checking the cage twice per
day, providing food and water and taking the animal to the vet at the
earliest possible time following capture.
Complete Mosman councils ‘Rabbit Trapping Monitoring Sheet for
Private Property’ during the trapping process and send in to council
A.S.A.P.
Incur the associated veterinary costs for euthansia of captured feral
rabbits
Return the trap to Mosman Council in a clean and good condition after
use
Not use the cage to capture of native animals
I………………………………………………………………………. agree to the above
conditions ………………………………………….Date…………………………………
Rabbit Cage Trap Instructions,
Procedures and Conditions
Property of Mosman Council
Please return when not in use.
Contact Mosman Council Bushcare Officer Ph: 9978 4000 or
[email protected]
Trap setting instructions for fold-up rabbit cage trap
1. Pick up trap by the handles and trap will unfold to form its rectangular
cage shape.
2. Push the ‘U’ shape bar down so it sits around the cage mesh. This
ensures cage is stable and holds its shape.
3. Fold up rear door and secure with rod by placing the rods through the
second top hole at the rear of the cage on one side, across the outside
of the rear door and into the second top hole of the rear of the opposite
side of cage. Push down on bent side of rod so it sits against the cage
wire. This will hold the rear door firmly in place.
4. Hold the small ‘U’ shape wire on the front door of the cage while
pushing the outside mesh layer inwards to the inner mesh layer and
pull up flush with top of cage. While holding in place, move the small
catch on the wire bar, so it hooks over mesh of cage door. The trap is
now set, and the plate inside the trap will be raised
5. Bait should be placed at the rear end inside the cage, behind the plate.
Rabbit Trapping Procedures
Placement and Bait
1. Call local vet or a council appointed vet to inform them that you are
trapping feral rabbits and if captured they will need to be euthanised.
(Note: cost of euthanisation of rabbits is at the cage operator/ property
owner’s expense therefore it is advisable to check costs before
undertaking trapping)
2. Select an appropriate, sheltered site for the trap to be located.
3. Bait the trap and surrounding areas with veggie scraps, herbs, Lucerne
etc. There are a number of baits/lures which have proven to be very
successful. These include cut apples, watermelon, peanut paste & jam
(either on the plate itself or spread on bread) and placed at rear of
plate.
4. Free feed the rabbits for at least the first couple of nights to encourage
the rabbits to become familiar with the trap. Free feeding is undertaken
by fixing the trap by placing a stick in the trap door to allow rabbit to
enter and leave without striking the tipping mechanism. The feed
should be spread around and in the cage.
Trapping
1. Traps should only be set in the early evening and most importantly
checked in the early morning. Trapped animals can suffer from
exposure, thirst, starvation, shock and predation; therefore traps must
be placed in a suitable area protected from extremes of weather and
inspected at least once daily.
2. All traps should be monitored regularly. Guidlelines on the humane
approach to trapping animals developed by the Department of Primary
Industry (RES001 ‘Live capture of pest animals used in research’)
should be followed. No cage should be left over 24 hours without
checking to see if an animal has been trapped. If a non-target species
has been trapped the animal should be released in a well sheltered
area. (Note: it is an offence under National Parks and Wildlife Act 1979
to remove and/or relocate native animals to other sites). If the nontarget animal has an injury, they should be taken to the vet
immediately.
3. Trapped animals must be approached carefully and quietly to minimize
panic and stress
4. Trapped animals should not be kept in the cage for more that 12 hours.
5. Ensure accurate records are kept of species trapped including numbers
of rabbits captured and any non-target species captured. This
information should be recorded on Mosman Councils Rabbit Trapping
Monitoring Sheet. Once completed the form must be sent to Mosman
Council or emailed to [email protected]
6. At the end of the trapping program, the cage traps should be cleaned
using soap and water, rinsed and dried. After the trap has been
cleaned, the cage must be returned to Mosman Council Bushcare.
Rabbit Cage Trapping Monitoring Sheet for Private Property
Resident and/or Operators Name:
Resident and/or Operator Contact No:
Address (where trap will be used):
Date
Time
checked
Weather
Previous
Night
Animal
Caught
Veterinarian
the rabbit
was taken
to
Date rabbit
was taken
to
veterinarian
Animals
Weather
1 = Fox
2 = Dog
3 = Cat
4 = Bird
5 = Rodent
6 = Macropod
7 = Reptile
8 = Bandicoot
9 = Possum
10 = Quoll
11 = Rabbit
12 = Human
13 = Other (specify)
14 = Unknown
1 = Fine
2 = Wet
3 = Windy
4 = Foggy
Further Comments:
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