The use of infrared-flash camera traps has increased dramatically over the past ten years particularly for capturerecapture population studies of distinctly-marked species. However, to use capture-recapture with the more inconspicuous species, high-quality colour imaging (and therefore white flash) is required. A potential problem with white flash is that it may negatively affect behaviour, in this case at bait stations, therefore causing results that do not truly represent possum activity. Possums were used in this study to compare two different types of camera trap: infrared and white flash. Camera traps were placed to take images of possums visiting bait stations, and the number of possum visits was used to determine if white-flash cameras gave different results to infrared-flash cameras. The white-flash cameras had slightly higher possum visits than infrared-flash cameras but the difference was not significant (P=0.437). Over time, the number of possum events (P=0.62) and the amount of time possums spent at the stations did not differ significantly (P=0.81). There was also no difference in the amount of bait taken by possums at white flash compared to infrared stations (P=0.61). Results show possums are not likely to be affected by white-flash cameras compared to infrared-flash cameras. This study therefore showed that there is unlikely to be any behavioural disadvantage in using white flash over infrared, allowing white-flash cameras to be investigated for their potential in identifying individual possums, and as a monitoring tool in control operations.

Improving vertebrate pest control operations relies on increasing pest animal interactions with control devices (e.g., bait stations, bait bags, and/or traps). Interactions are encouraged using a variety of baits and lures that stimulate an animal’s visual, olfactory, or auditory sense, orientating the target species towards a control device. On a generalised spatial scale of conspicuousness, an auditory lure will function over a greater distance for mammals in forested ecosystems than both visual and olfactory lures, suggesting auditory lures could have the greatest luring potential. In New Zealand, there is an overabundance of the introduced Australian brushtail possum that is the subject of ongoing control. Ground-based control operations typically use visual (e.g., a flour blaze), and to a lesser extent olfactory (e.g., cinnamon) lures for attracting possums to control devices. However, the potential for an auditory stimulus remains largely unexamined and underutilised. Research presented here expands on previous studies with captive animals and examines the development and field testing of an audio lure for possum control. The results from three preliminary field trials show that possums found audio-lured devices sooner than un-lured devices, and that a greater proportion of lured devices were located over time. In addition, possums were recorded investigating lured sites at a higher rate compared to un-lured sites, suggesting that possums were more likely to interact with a control device if it has an audio-lure than if it does not.