Stoat discovery a dampener

Press, 17 June 1982, Page 7

Stoat discovery a dampener

The finding of a stoat on Maud Island, a wild life sanctuary in the Marlborough Sounds, has cast a cloud over the island’s future as a sanctuary and doubts about the Marlborough Sounds Maritime Park Board’s management plan for the island. At a meeting of the board this month it was decided that further consideration of the plan should be deferred in the meantime until the future of the island became more clear.

The board chairman, Mr I. B. Mitchell, said he could not see much point in carrying on with the plan at this stage. Mr M. T. Reeves said he would not be surprised if stoats had been on the island for some considerable time. He had heard from a reliable source that they had been liberated there 20 to 25 years ago to reduce the weka population.

Mr Mitchell said the wildlife service had occupied the island for a considerable time and it was unlikely that stoats could have escaped detection for so long.

The presence of the stoat immediately posed a threat to the two female and two male kakapo released there for protection. The females are among the eight remaining birds of that sex known to exist. Fears are also held for the future of the South Island saddleback and little spotted kiwi on the island.

So far wildlife officers have been unable to find the stoat on Maud Island, and one of the female kakapo has still not been traced. The other kakapo are free but have tracking devices attached to them. Once they have all been rounded up they will be taken to Little Barrier Island with the two little spotted kiwi.