A likely sighting of a stoat on Sanday is being investigated by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH).
Since stoats were first recorded on Orkney in 2010, they have spread across the mainland and the connected isles. They are skilled hunters and their presence could have a devastating effect on Orkney’s rich and diverse wildlife.
The sighting – on the north end of Sanday – was reported through a Facebook post on the Stoats in Orkney page in late December. SNH staff then spoke to the person who saw the animal, and are reasonably confident it was either a stoat or a weasel.
SNH staff are working together with the Sanday ranger and the RSPB to set up monitoring equipment and a localised trapping grid around the area where the potential stoat sighting was made. Tracking tunnels with ink pads to record animal footprints will be used, as well as a wide range of other monitoring tools. The trapping effort is aimed at capturing any stoats that may be present on Sanday, and will adhere to high standards of animal welfare.
Any evidence of stoats on non-linked isles like Sanday is problematic: if allowed to colonise, the stoats will considerably increase the threat to Orkney’s native wildlife, as well as increasing the costs and complexity of the project to remove them.
Graham Neville, SNH Northern Isles and North Highland operations manager, said:
“We’re working quickly to put in place monitoring and trapping to detect and hopefully remove any animal that might be present on Sanday. We’re looking for volunteers to help set up the monitoring and trapping on the island.”