A £150,000 operation to capture a lone stoat on the remote Orkney island of Rousay has so far failed, despite extensive efforts since the animal was confirmed there in May. The search matters because Rousay was previously stoat-free, and officials fear the predator could establish a breeding population, spread to other islands and threaten vulnerable native wildlife.

The operation has involved 229 traps, 59 cameras, specially trained detection dogs and additional staff and equipment, with the latest confirmed camera sighting on 6 September. NatureScot approved £148,790 in extra funding after the Orkney Native Wildlife Project called for urgent action; the search forms part of a wider £16 million eradication programme that has killed more than 9,000 stoats since 2019. Stoats are an introduced species in Orkney and pose risks to the endemic Orkney vole and ground-nesting birds including curlews, lapwings and oystercatchers.