Modern Benefits

1. More effective predation control achieved at lower cost.
2. Intensive management is now possible via:

   Barrier Trapping

   lines of traps alongside trouble spots such as forestry blocks and unkeepered land on the marches.

   Saturation Trapping

   areas of difficult access can be trapped or monitored as daily visits are not needed.

   Area Trapping

   unkeepered ground could change when neighbours see a cost effective system running next door and start up a similar programme.

3. More of the keeper's time can be spent on using his skills to manage the moor giving better results, and increased job satisfaction.
4. Raptors - A general clean up of crows and foxes over a large area could lead to licences for raptor control if significant predation of ground nesting moorland birds continues. This is most unlikely to happen while the main damage is being done by the hordes of hoodies and foxes now rampant in the countryside.
5. Vandalism of traps - Is reduced because the keeper is no longer watched to see where he goes to each trap and there are no foot prints/vehicle tracks to give away the location. Vandals can now be caught on camera (see logger Mk II) identified and the picture used for prosecution evidence.
6. The system is more humane since the keeper knows, from his read-out, which traps have gone off and he can visit these first.
7. More reliable - The system is not affected by access problems in bad weather, illness etc.
8. More acceptable to authorities - Full records of trap checking available with no chance of "editing" the records. The fact that the job is well done and can be seen to be genuine, will reduce the pressure to ban snares. Risk assessment is provided and user's Competence Certificates after training.
9. Wildlife benefits from predator control are well known. Now that this is really practical and cost effective more uplands could re-instate keepers leading to a better national wildlife scene and more keeper's jobs.

Next section: Equipment