Carrots laced with poisoned bait will be laid before a shooting operation starts to cull wild rabbit numbers on Cape Wanbrow, including areas near the penguin colony and Waterfront Rd, in Oamaru and at two sites in Hampden in late July and August.
Last year, the Otago Regional Council issued a notice to reduce rabbit numbers on Cape Wanbrow.
In a statement, the Waitaki District Council said this year it had decided to be "proactive in its pest control" to reduce the rabbit population again.
Rabbit control work will also be carried out at the Hampden Cemetery and a forestry block to the south of Hampden, near Worcester St.
The council spokesperson said there are high numbers of rabbits in these areas that cannot be controlled with night shooting alone.
Council officers will also be engaging with leaseholders of council land to ensure pest control takes place elsewhere in Hampden.
A spokesperson said the rabbit control programme has two main stages, first Pindone-laced carrot bait will be placed in the areas for control. The control work will involve two drops, a week apart (with a third if required), using hand-laid carrots coated with Pindone, deposited in areas where rabbits are most active.
The council statement said residents and the community will be informed of dates for night-shooting well in advance.
Property owners in the area will be provided with letters detailing the work to be done, and maps of where the rabbit control will take place. The council advises people and animals should not touch the baits and dogs should be kept on a leash at all times in the operation areas as Pindone is poisonous to people and animals.
The rabbit control operation starts on July 28 and runs through August.
— APL
