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

A large introduced Norway rat, discovered in the garden of a home in Hataitai, Wellington. Photograph: Predator Free Wellington

In many places around the world, discovering a rat in your garden would barely register a second thought.

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 to eradicate introduced predators by 2050 to save its unique wildlife from further decimation.