Our Auckland chats to Lorelle Stranghan, an everyday hero rallying her neighbourhood on a rat-catching mission.
Lorelle is the perfect example of conservation coming down to small, manageable actions in our everyday lives.
Inspired by a ‘Pestival’ session run by the Department of Conservation at her daughter’s Sunnyhill Primary School, Lorelle was eager to help with Auckland’s pest control.
Not only did she take up the offer of free rat traps to set up in her own backyard, but Lorelle reached out to her neighbours, sharing pest control information, and ordering traps for anyone who wanted to get involved with local rat catching.
With 14 families already on board and word spreading, Lorelle’s been visiting neighbours one by one and showing them how to set their traps.
Making an impact
When asked what made her so keen to pitch in, she said it seemed like a no-brainer.
“When you see how the pest control plan for the whole city fits together and how important your little street is, you’re inspired to take action,” she says.
“Setting rat traps is something simple and tangible that ends up making a real impact. Plus rats freak me out so I’m not going to complain about getting rid of them!”
The rat trap took a couple of attempts to get right – moving it around the garden without catching anything before finding a sweet spot by the pool pump house. Since then it’s been all go.
“My kids have got super into it,” she says. “They’re always rushing out in the morning to check if we’ve caught anything. It’s great to see them excited about it.”
“To me, pest control is something for all of us to do together – when everyone does their own little bit you can see change happening in a big way.”
To get involved with conservation efforts head over to Pest Free Auckland 2050 or check out conservation groups to join in your area at Nature Space.
