A rat sighting in New Zealand can trigger an urgent response. Meet the ‘ghostbusters’ hunting them down

<p>Detector teams in Wellington react to ‘intel’ from the public about pest sightings as part of the country’s push to eradicate all introduced predators</p><p>In many places around the world, discovering a rat in your garden would barely register a second thought.</p><p>But in parts of New Zealand, a single rat, possum or stoat can trigger an urgent response, as the country embarks on a world-leading project <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/25/no-more-rats-new-zealand-to-exterminate-all-introduced-predators">to eradicate introduced predators by 2050</a> to save its unique wildlife from further decimation.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/17/rat-hunters-catchers-predator-free-new-zealand-wellington-rats-problem">Continue reading...</a>