Trapping and removing invasive non-native stoats is crucial in our effort to protect Orkney’s wildlife. They pose a significant threat to species like the Orkney vole, hen harriers, curlews and Arctic terns, as well as businesses that thrive because of our incredible natural heritage. They are skilled hunters, need to eat a lot, and breed very quickly. Our wooden boxes are specially designed to ensure the traps are humane and minimise the chance of catching animals that aren’t stoats.
We are grateful to the many hundreds of Orkney landowners who already support this community effort by allowing us to place traps on their land! However, when we’re given permission, we’re often asked where our traps will go.
We target priority stoat habitat
It’s no secret that trap boxes are deployed in high stoat activity areas. Moorland, gardens and ditches are playgrounds for the invasive species. It’s where they den and store food. The abundance of vole life in the same area also means an easy meal is never too far away! We also target paths stoats take when they’re on the move! They tend to use linear features such as ditches, hedgerows, and drystone walls to move around their territory.
Where you won’t find a trap box
You won’t find stoat trap boxes in the middle of open fields, surrounded by farming cattle, or in urban areas. Although there’s always a possibility a stoat may run through these patches, our chances of catching them are better placed in their preferred sheltered territory.
We’re almost there!
At the time of print, we have already have access to deploy traps in 71% of Orkney’s mainland and 93% of priority stoat habitat. With rallied support of Orkney’s community, we have caught more than 6,200 stoats, significantly shrinking the invasive population. Our efforts are also being rewarded with improvements in nest success rates for wading birds, hen harriers, and an increase in signs of Orkney Vole since 2019. With our continued effort, together we can achieve a stoat-free Orkney!
