Stoat Dangers

Forest and Bird, Issue 292, 1 May 1999, Page 3

Stoat Dangers

Forest & Bird journal has done an excellent job over the past few years in highlighting the threat posed by stoats. While possum control is having positive benefits for some of our forest birds, such as kokako and kereru, others remain under considerable threat.

Hole-nesting birds such as mohua (yellowhead), kakariki and kaka — particularly the nesting females — are being wiped out by stoats, except in those few areas where intensive control is being carried out, or on islands free of stoats. As a starting point, the integration of stoat control with possum control would seem to be of the highest priority. The more strongly we can get the stoat message across to the maximum number of people, the greater the chance of earlier success in developing effective control methods. Current methods for the widespread control of possums and rats were not possible or even contemplated 10 or 20 years ago. With funding, vision and commitment, the same results could be achieved for stoats. While there is a whole suite of predators out there, stoats would seem to be the number one threat at the present time. Stephen L Westgate, Onerahi, Whangarei — Stephen Westgate’s account of stoats on the property of Far North Forest and Bird members Ian and June Wilson appears on page 43 of this issue.