Dead weasel found in trap

Earlier this month, our solid sanctuary biosecurity systems put in place by our conservation team were put to the test, with a weasel discovered dead in a DOC200 trap at the southern end of the sanctuary. The good news about this is that our safeguarding systems are working.

Incursions don’t happen often, but when they do, our rangers put their other work on hold and focus on carrying out a well-honed response. 

In conservation, we never leave things to chance. To figure out if there were any more intruders, our rangers pre-baited even more traps and set out trail cameras. Pre-baiting is where you bait the traps but don’t set them to allow the target species to become comfortable around the trap. This means they are more likely to be caught when it is set.

On top of carrying out this response, our rangers also carry out pest audits twice a year which are designed to detect any mammalian predators. We haven’t had any sign of predation, nor do we have any sign that other introduced mammals remain in the sanctuary. In time, a mustelid detection dog will be brought in to help give the ‘all clear’.

Responding to events like this is expensive, and we are thankful to all the staff and volunteers who make it happen. We also thank you as your membership and donations help us to keep doing this work. Regular contributions in particular help support this ongoing, mission-critical work and ensure we are always ready to respond.