[Animals] Call for extra £8m to eradicate stoats from Orkney

[FRIDAY THE 13]

 

project to eradicate stoats from Orkney could take another five years and cost a further £8m to complete, it has been claimed.The Orkney Native Wildlife Project began trapping the animals in 2019 and has so far removed more than 5,000.The animals are said to pose a major threat to breeding seabirds as well as the native Orkney vole.Project organisers said the task was always going to be difficult but it was setback by Covid pandemic restrictions.Stoats are common in parts of mainland Scotland but they only started appearing in Orkney in 2010.Organisers claim their plans are the biggest invasive predator eradication on an inhabited island, anywhere in the world, with about 7,000 traps laid around the mainland and the coastline of the neighbouring islands.The project has already cost about £8m but those behind it claim the same amount will be required to finish the job, with three years of eradication and two years of further monitoring.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-66889194