Home / Environment / Rogue Stoat Evades £150K Hunt on Remote Scottish Island
Rogue Stoat Evades £150K Hunt on Remote Scottish Island
21 Sep
Summary
- A £150,000 operation uses dogs, AI cameras, and traps to find a stoat.
- The predator threatens rare bird populations and the endemic Orkney vole.
- Over 9,000 stoats have been removed in a global eradication scheme.
An extensive £150,000 operation has been launched on the remote Scottish island of Rousay to track down a single, invasive male stoat. Conservationists are utilizing specialized detection dogs, artificial-intelligence cameras, and over 200 traps, but the elusive mammal has so far evaded capture. The stoat's presence on Rousay, a small island with approximately 230 residents, is causing significant concern for local bird species like curlews and lapwings.
The non-native predator also jeopardizes the Orkney vole, a creature endemic to the region and crucial to the diet of native hen harriers and owls. This operation is part of the broader £15 million Orkney Native Wildlife Project (ONWP), initiated in 2019. It is believed the stoat reached Rousay by swimming the two-mile stretch of water from the mainland.
Since May, 229 traps and 59 specialized cameras have been deployed on Rousay alone. The ONWP has successfully removed 9,039 stoats across the Orkney archipelago, marking the world's largest species eradication scheme. Locals are urged to report any sightings, as the project intensifies its efforts to protect the island's unique wildlife from this persistent threat.
