with less labour cost using telematic systems
Predator control is well known as a key component of moor management
benefiting several species of upland birds as well as grouse. The Otterburn
Project will quantify this as will the Loddington Project for lowland birds.
There is nothing better than a keeper operated round of traps and snares
but it is labour intensive and so expensive that such work has been restricted
on many estates today.
Trap Alert (TA) systems offer cost effective and efficient solutions.
The basic unit is an "event logger" whose sensors record movement. This
can be used in a pre-trapping mode to monitor a site. If enough movements
are recorded it is worth setting a trap there. As the event's dates and
times are recorded the keeper can use the information, for example, to wait
for a fox at a likely time e.g. it may have been logged 5 nights out of
7 and between 7pm and 8.30pm The system is set for one species but each
unit can record; separately, movements of deer and/or people and vehicles
for security purposes.
Remote Control
The main role of TA is for remote checking traps and snares. Information
is sent to the keeper's control unit by SMS text messages or via radio links.
The units can be interrogated remotely at any time or they can be set to
send a signal as soon as the trap catches, or is moved or touched.
Legal and Humane Aspects
The system goes far beyond the legal duty of checking traps every 24
hours for these reasons:
- Trap lines can be checked in a few minutes so this could be done
more than once a day.
- Before he begins his rounds, the keeper will know which traps have
caught and can visit these earlier.
- The system is failsafe. It relies on a signal from the trap indicating
nothing is caught and all functions are normal. If there is a problem
such as battery or technical failure, interference from antis or a snare
being kicked over or moved so it could catch non targets, then no signal
can be sent, thus prompting the keeper to visit that trap. It is impossible
for an animal to be caught without the keeper's knowledge. Even an anti
could not make trouble for an estate by putting a dead animal into a
trap. Any movement would activate this failsafe aspect and the trap
cannot be reactivated and switched on to Normal Function without the
keeper using an electronic access code number first.
- GPS is used to identify each unit. So if the usual keeper is ill
or away, a colleague can find any trap on the estate.
- The daily information from the system can be downloaded onto a P.C.
This provides a record to show the keeper has complied with the Law.
D E F R A have not objected to the system being used to check traps,
but obviously where live decoys are used e.g. in Larsen traps, these
must be visited daily by the keeper.
Next section:
Integrated Moor Management
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