Auckland's Motutapu Island placed under rāhui over prolonged stoat invasion

Tuesday, 18 May 2021

Nine weeks after first being spotted, an elusive stoat is still on the run from the Department of Conservation on Auckland's Motutapu and Rangitoto islands (video first published July 25, 2020).

A rāhui has been placed over Auckland’s Motutapu Island while authorities work to capture two elusive stoats.

The rāhui (ban) means access to the island in the Hauraki Gulf will be restricted and the campground closed for the next 30 days while the Department of Conservation (DOC) and the iwi Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki works to trap the stoats.

Stoats were first detected on predator-free Motutapu and Rangitoto islands in May 2020. Two were trapped in September and January.

Motutapu Island has now had four stoat outbreaks in one year.

The University of Auckland investigated more than 100 years of invasive mammal eradication attempts across 998 islands around the world. / Koni i ngā tau 100 o ngā whakamōtītanga whāngote i whakatewhatewhangia e Waipapa Taumata Rau, puta noa i ngā moutere 998 taiāwhio nei i te ao.

* Hunt on to catch another stoat in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf after rare birds found dead

* Auckland's island-hopping stoat: Elusive pest found in trap on Rangitoto Island

There are currently 460 pest traps set up across Rangitoto and Motutapu Islands in Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf.

* Auckland's island-hopping stoat: Elusive pest caught on camera on Motutapu Island

Stoat detection dogs are regularly used to track pest movements on the islands, however two stoats are currently on the run on Motutapu Island.

Evidence shows the weasel-like creatures, which have the ability to swim long distances, arrived from Auckland’s mainland, DOC said.

Stoats pose a significant risk to threatened native birds and lizards.

It is believed stoats were responsible for the death of three tūturuatu (shore plover), one of the world’s rarest shorebirds, on Motutapu Island in January, resulting in the evacuation of 10 of the birds to a sanctuary and wildlife centre.

In a statement, DOC incursion response advisor Claire Warren said there are currently 460 traps set up across Rangitoto and Motutapu Islands, with 150 more due to be set up.

Trapping on the mainland will help reduce risk of stoat incursions, she added.

Trail cameras and stoat detection dogs are also used about four times a year to track pest movements.

“We are asking people to take note of iwi rāhui and not to visit Motutapu while our first priority is catching the remaining stoats,” she said.

Ferry services to Rangitoto Island are unaffected by the rāhui.

Auckland Council head of natural environment Phil Brown said the impact of stoats on native wildlife is “devastating”.

“Chasing down single stoats in otherwise stoat-free areas is a challenge.”

The council takes its protection responsibilities seriously, he said.

“We are constantly strengthening our pest trapping activities to prevent re-invasion.”

That includes the purchase of a $4000 thermal camera earlier this year, which has assisted council rangers in tracking the movements of stoats at pest-free Shakespear Regional Park, which is currently in the throes of its most significant excursion to date.

Brown commended the efforts of people in the community who made an effort to control pests on their land.

“It’s those efforts that really help protect our biodiversity.”

As of January, Auckland Council and DOC had together spent $86,000 over seven months on trying to trap elusive stoats in the Hauraki Gulf.