Orokonui Ecosanctuary staff are pulling out all the stops, and applying ''ingenious'' methods to track down a trap-shy stoat that resulted in kiwi chicks being shifted from the facility.
That includes using live mice and dead rats in traps, and female stoat-scented nesting material to attract the stoat.
The ecosanctuary is hunting a stoat believed to have scaled its $2million perimeter fence, threatening juvenile kiwi and other native birds.
Otago Natural History Trust chairman and Dunedin city councillor Neville Peat said yesterday the ecosanctuary was ''trying to be ingenious''.
''We're trying to outwit the stoat.''
The animal's tracks had been seen in snow, apparently walking around two traps.
''If they're trap-shy, and many times they are, if they've seen their mates go into a trap and not come out, they'll be wary,'' Cr Peat said.
''The stoat alert is an extraordinary and upsetting experience for us, requiring an extraordinary response.''
That included new lures and innovative trapping methods.
''We are deploying live-capture pens and traps, which the stoat not might have encountered before.''
Stoat scientists and animal pest experts from around New Zealand had offered advice and support, for which the ecosanctuary was ''most grateful''.
More kiwi chicks were due to arrive at the facility in October, by which time the stoat was expected to be dealt with, Cr Peat said.
