Home / Environment / Elusive Stoat Finally Caught After Five-Month Hunt
Elusive Stoat Finally Caught After Five-Month Hunt
13 Oct
Summary
- A stoat evaded dogs, AI cameras, and traps for over five months.
- A £150,000 operation was launched to find the animal on Rousay.
- The captured stoat was a lone male, potentially protecting native wildlife.
A five-month-long pursuit on the Scottish island of Rousay has concluded with the capture of an elusive stoat. The operation, costing £150,000, employed advanced tactics including dogs, AI-assisted cameras, and specialized traps to locate the "stealthy, fast-moving animal."
This lone male stoat had evaded detection since April, raising concerns for the island's vulnerable native wildlife, such as breeding seabirds and the unique Orkney vole. Its capture near the Loch of Loomachun marks a significant success for the Orkney Native Wildlife Project (ONWP) and local volunteers.
The ONWP is now highly confident that the incursion was limited to this single stoat. However, monitoring will persist until April 2027 to confirm the complete eradication of stoats from Rousay, safeguarding its precious biodiversity.
