Second invasive stoat caught on Orkney island

A second invasive stoat has been caught on Rousay, just weeks after another was trapped following a seven-month operation.

The adult male was caught on Friday, October 23, by the Orkney Native Wildlife Project (ONWP), which confirmed it was at least a year old.

It comes after a second stoat was confirmed on the island on Friday, October 9, raising fresh concerns about the threat to native wildlife.

The latest animal was caught in a trap where a nearby trail camera had recorded a stoat on Wednesday.

The ONWP said removing the animal was important for protecting Rousay’s native species, including curlews, red-throated divers, hen harriers, short-eared owls and the Orkney vole.

The vole is a unique subspecies found nowhere else in the world.

It is not yet known how either animal reached Rousay. The project said they may have swum across Eynhallow Sound, while it also raised the possibility that one or more stoats had been deliberately released.

A statement read: “This is fortunate news for Rousay’s native wildlife.

“We have removed what could have been a serious threat to the island’s native species – including bird life, from curlews and red-throated divers to hen harriers and short-eared owls, and the Orkney vole, a unique subspecies found nowhere else in the world.

“It will also hopefully mean that we can continue apace with the biosecurity monitoring that is needed to confirm that Rousay is completely stoat-free, rather than delaying it as we worked to remove another stoat.”

More than 9,100 stoats have been removed from the islands to date, with the aim of protecting native wildlife, including the Orkney vole, hen harriers, short-eared owls and other ground-nesting birds.