aerial 1080

Kākā (Nestor meridionalis) are vulnerable to predation by stoats (Mustela erminea) and possums (Trichosurus vulpecula), particularly when nesting. Without predator control kākā populations decline. Control of stoats and possums both by trapping and aerial application of the poison 1080 leads to increased kākā nesting success. In recent years, many 1080 poison operations have been undertaken to control ship rat (Rattus rattus) and stoat plagues that occur after beech mast. Kākā do not breed every year but breed in anticipation of heavy fruiting.

In New Zealand, ship rats (Rattus rattus) have been implicated in many extinctions, declines, and range contractions of native birds, so ship rats are an important target of predator control. The outcomes of ship rat control operations are difficult to predict due to other factors which affect rat populations including altitude, Nothofagus seedfall, and control of other mammalian pests, particularly brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) and stoats (Mustela erminea).

The kea (Nestor notabilis) is a highly intelligent and adaptable omnivorous New Zealand parrot. These traits potentially put kea at risk of poisoning during vertebrate pest poisoning operations. However, as kea fall prey to introduced pests, they also gain from pest control, creating a cost-benefit situation.