Method and apparatus for controlling pest animals

An apparatus for controlling animal pests comprising:

• a housing having a passage extending into the housing from an entrance of the housing, the passage having a front wall, a rear wall, and a rotatable bottom wall;
• an impacting member movable across the passage from a first position adjacent to the front wall to a second position adjacent to the rear wall, the impacting member having a slidable arm extending out from the rear wall and having a free distal end having an impactor extending downwardly from the free distal end of the slidable arm at the front wall when the impacting member is in the first position;
• a retraction mechanism having a first support and a second support with the first support being integral with the rear wall, and a spring connected to the second support and the slidable arm;
• a sensor positioned within the passage, the sensor configured to sense an animal pest in the passage and to provide a signal representative of the sensing of the presence of the animal pest;
• and
• the impacting member is operable to be released to rapidly move across the passage from the first position adjacent to the front wall toward the second position adjacent to the rear wall when the sensor provides the signal and to thereby allow the rotatable bottom wall to rotate.

An apparatus for controlling animal pests comprising:

• a housing having a passage extending into the housing from an entrance of the housing, the passage having a front wall and a rear wall;
• an impacting member movable across the passage from a first position adjacent to the front wall to a second position adjacent to the rear wall, the impacting member having a slidable arm extending out from the rear wall and having a free distal end having an impactor extending downwardly from the free distal end of the slidable arm at the front wall when the impacting member is in the first position;
• an anvil positioned on the rear wall with the impactor capable of impacting the anvil;
• a retraction mechanism having a first support and a second support with the first support being integral with the anvil, and a spring connected to the second support and the slidable arm;
• a sensor positioned within the passage, the sensor configured to sense an animal pest in the passage and to provide a signal representative of the sensing of the presence of the animal pest;
• and
• the impacting member is operable to be released to rapidly move across the passage from the first position adjacent to the front wall toward the second position adjacent to the rear wall when the sensor provides the signal.