Single invasive stoat removed from rural Scottish island

By Elizabeth Hunter

A single invasive stoat has been trapped and removed from a rural Scottish island.

Reports of a stoat on the island of Rousay were first made in April this year and the Orkney Native Wildlife Project has worked tirelessly ever since to coordinate its rescue and removal.

Trappers and local volunteers used dogs to search the area, AI-assisted trail cameras, and other monitoring tools to trap and relocate the stoat.

Experts anticipated the presence of one male stoat, based on evidence of stoat behavior and DNA extracted from feces on the island.

And on Oct. 9, the singular male stoat was finally found in a trap near the Loch of Loomachun.

Experts said there fortunately appear to be no signs of female stoats in Rousay, or any signs of a stoat population establishing itself outside of the Orkney mainland.

They believe the incursion was limited to a single animal, and say that the stoat was caught before it could seriously harm native wildlife - but have yet to confirm how the stoat reached the island.

Alice Head-Rapson, who set the trap box that caught the stoat, said: "This incursion response was a test of our skills, but everybody at the project stepped up to meet the moment.

"My teammate, Benjy, and I spent the summer and autumn monitoring as much of Rousay as we can and expanding our trap networks, with a focus on sighting hotspots like the Loch of Loomachun.

"Our work has certainly paid off!

"It's still important we guarantee with complete confidence that the stoat we've trapped was the only one, but our achievement here is a big deal and we hope that will help to keep nature safe across all of Orkney.

"Working with the island community has been a privilege, and we're really grateful for all the support the volunteers there have shown for native wildlife."

The team stressed that despite this achievement, the job is not yet done.

Monitoring will continue for several months to ensure "with absolute certainty" no other stoats are present on the island.

If no more are found, Rousay can be declared stoat-free after two years.

It is believed the stoat may have reached the island by swimming, with the distance between Rousay and Orkney as one it could "easily cover over open water."

Stoats are native to the mainland UK - but not to Orkney, where they pose a serious threat to voles, hen harriers, and other ground-nesting birds.

The Orkney Native Wildlife Project says it has removed over 9,100 stoats so far, and there are just a handful left across the isles.

Ian Barker, an island local and biosecurity volunteer, said: "If you've ever been to Rousay, you'll know that finding this stoat raised a lot of challenges.

"We were looking for just one stealthy, fast-moving animal across 4,500 Ha of island – most of which is heather moorland, which is difficult to cross on foot and very easy for stoats to hide in.

"It has been great to see professionals and volunteers coming together and achieving this common goal.

"I'm really happy that we succeeded in catching this stoat, and that we've managed to protect our native wildlife."