A Wellington eco-sanctuary is once again celebrating weasel-free status after being confronted by multiple trespassers.
Over the course of a week in June, Zealandia rangers discovered the bodies of mustelids who had weaselled their way inside the sanctuary.
Zealandia confirmed the total body count in the traps was five.
The traps had been set after a tree fell onto the predator-free fence during a storm in May, possibly providing an opening for the weasels to get inside the exclusion zone.
In an update on the incursion, Zealandia said it was confident it was once again weasel-free after a thorough two-day search by a mustelid dog turned up no weasels.
“While there had been previous weasel incursions over the past few years, these had been single trespassers. Finding five weasels was confronting,” it said.
The scouring of key sections of the valley by dog Wero, and handler Brad Windust, followed hundreds of hours spent by staff and volunteers responding to the unwanted visitors.
“While thermal camera footage and empty traps are important detection devices, we feel more confident that the valley is once again free of weasels now that Brad and Wero have checked the area. A huge shout out to them both!”
Last month, chief executive Danielle Shanahan said it could have been much worse, and that of all the mustelids — alternatives being ferrets and stoats — the weasel was the least likely to do damage.
“It isn’t breeding season, at least for most species, so nests with eggs or chicks aren’t vulnerable.”
Shanahan said the intrusion had highlighted that more research was needed on weasel populations, as a female weasel could squeeze through thumb-sized hole.
“Weasels can be missed in regular trapping programmes because they require very finely set traps, as they can be much lighter than rats and stoats. For fenced sanctuaries like Zealandia, they pose a very serious risk.”
Zealandia said early next month a rat detection dog and handler would check the valley for rats.
By Mary Argue for rnz.co.nz
