To protect Orkney’s native wildlife and economy, the project aims to eradicate stoats from Orkney, returning the islands to how they were before stoats were first reported in 2010.
Eradicating stoats means not just reducing their numbers but removing every last one, returning the islands to their natural stoat-free status. Thanks to a huge community effort, a stoat-free Orkney is possible and within reach. To achive total eradication, we are working through three phases:
Duration: 2019 - 2025
During this phase we have deployed a network of traps across Orkney mainland and linked isles. This has caused a substantial 'knock-down' in the widespread stoat population and pushed them into pockets of preferred habitat.
As the project has progressed, this phase has evolved to incorporate intense 'response trapping'. This means identifying stoat hotspots through public sightings, dog searches, and monitoring equipmentand. Using this information, we're creating a smarter network of traps that put more pressure on the shrinking stoat population.
Duration: 2026 - 2027
During this phase, we place more resources into removing the final stoats from Orkney. Reports of stoat ightings will be particularly important during this phase. 'Response trapping' will continue and expand as we make the final push towards a stoat free Orkney.
Our zero-tolerance to the invasive predator will tighten as we squeeze out the final stoats in Orkney. Our modelling and expert analysis gives us confidence that Orkney can be completely stoat-free by the 31st of December 2027.
Duration: 2028 - 2029
It's international best practice for island eradication projects to have a post eradication two-year monitoring period. This will confirm and give confidence that Orkney is stoat-free.
As we shift into this biosecurity phase, we will continue to investigate any signs of possible stoat activity with dog searches and monitoring tools. We will also implement a plan to prevent a re-invasion of stoats in Orkney.
The eradication team is responsible for trapping stoats on the Orkney Mainland and the linked isles by deploying traps in an eradication network, checking and maintaining the network, and then, at the end, ensuring that all traps are removed.
The trappers work closely with the stoat detection dog team to pinpoint and remove stoat hotspots. This coordination is known as ‘response trapping’, and supplements the static trap network. Response trapping means responding to dog detections and public sightings with targeted trapping. The dogs locate the scent or sign of stoats, they do not to hunt them.
The project uses DOC200 and DOC150 humane lethal traps to remove stoats from Orkney. These traps are legal for use in Scotland and reach the welfare standards defined by the Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards (AIHTS). The majority of these are DOC200 spring traps, but
Most of the traps used by the project are DOC200s. The DOC200, and slightly smaller DOC150, traps are housed in specially designed trap boxes which ensure the traps are humane and minimise the chance of catching animals that aren’t stoats. The project uses two types of trap box that house either two traps (double-set) or one trap (single-set).
The trap network for the first phase of the eradication involves around 8,000 trap boxes deployed across the Orkney Mainland, South Ronaldsay and the linked isles. Roughly 80% of these trap boxes contain two DOC200 traps and the rest a single trap.
The eradication trap network was deployed and opened in stages starting with South Ronaldsay and the Linked Isles, followed by protected areas in West Mainland and across East Mainland. The traps on South Ronaldsay were then opened.
Once work could resume following the COVID pandemic, the East Mainland traps were opened, and traps were deployed at pace on West Mainland. The full trap network has proved effective at reducing the number of stoats to a point where staff can respond to individual sightings across the whole of the eradication zone.
Once deployment is completed in a specific area, the traps are assigned to a route, baited and opened for the first time.
Traps on routes with relatively high catch rates and sign/sighting reports will be checked on a 3-4 week schedule, sometimes more frequently. Low priority areas are checked on a 6-8 week schedule as they are less likely to need clearing. We tend to use longer life bait in these traps. This schedule is in line with other large trapping networks internationally.
During each check, the trap boxes are opened and the traps are emptied, cleaned, maintained, rebaited, reset and the boxes closed. Response traps - which are deployed on the basis of public sightings and detection dog indications - are checked more regularly.
Get in touch to find out more about adding your support by allowing trapping on your land or how to join the trapping team as a volunteer.