Trapping could backfire

We know plenty about the harmful impact of stoats on New Zealand’s native wildlife, but what about their smaller weasel cousins? Researchers analysed the diets of eight weasels and 20 stoats caught in traps around the South Island’s Routeburn Track and found weasels were one level higher up the food chain than stoats, with greater consumption of vulnerable groups of species such as lizards and small birds. The study’s authors say that since stoat traps don’t work on most weasels, it’s possible some stoat-trapping programmes could end up having a negative effect on threatened lizards. They emphasise that conservationists must keep their eyes on the prize and pay closer attention to the recovery of native species following predator control efforts, rather than simply counting the number of predators killed.