When Kiwi rat killing expert Doctor James Russell was told his research was being sized up for United States military funding, he wasn’t surprised.
“The US military – they have very long fingers. Even through the universities in New Zealand, they have a representative that comes around and just asks, ‘hey, what are you guys up to’.
“And obviously we’re in the business of eradicating entire populations of animals from an island and so they have cocked their ear towards me once or twice.