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STOATS
Introduction
In this report we will be talking about the stoat, what we are doing to stop them in the BOP today and what should be done in the future. The stoat has made a impact on lot’s of our native animals. They were brought to stop other pests but ended up being a pest. They are a pest because they kill lot’s of animals, but nothing kills them so they’re able to breed in large numbers and make our native animals numbers go down.
WHAT IS A STOAT?
A stoat, also known as the short-tailed weasel is a mammal of the Mustelid family which is native to Eurasia and North America. Originally from Eurasia, the stoat crossed into North America around 500,000 years ago. The average size of a male adult stoat is 19-32 cm and for a female adult is 17-27 cm. The difference between the stoat and weasel is that the stoat is bigger and weighs more. The weasel also has a longer tail than the stoat. A stoat with a white coat of fur is called an ermine.
Food Web
The stoat is not a fussy animal, when it comes to food it will hunt and eat anything that comes in its way. The stoat is a carnivore which means it only eats meat. Its favorite meal is native birds and eggs which is a really big problem for the native birds because the stoat does not have any natural predators which makes it a pest. They also eat rabbits, hares, fish, rats and mice. Without stoat control native birds could have died a years ago from the careful and cunning ways of the stoat. Did you know 95% of kiwi chicks born in the wild each year do not survive and 50% of these deaths are by stoats and feral cats. Without stoat control, kiwis could be lost from the wild within two generations. The stoat also will eat our native lizards if they are in sight. Stoats breed very fast so if we don’t stop them we might not have any native birds in years to come.
Who They’re A Threat To
Stoats are culprits to the kiwi, kaka, mohua, blue duck and lots of other native birds. The stoats also prey on native lizards. Stoats are excellent tree climbers and swimmers, therefore animals nesting up in a tree or on islands are not safe from stoats. They will destroy their food web because they have no predators so it is to easy to breed in large numbers and kill all our native animals. This is critical and even though some humans stop them, we only stop a small percentage.
Population And Breeding
A big problem with stoats is the size of their families. A mother stoat can have up to 12 babies at a time but usually has 4-6 babies. The average stoat lives between 4-5 years but they have found individuals living longer. Stoats are born blind, deaf, toothless and covered in a very fine down which means a fine layer of fur. When stoats are about 3 weeks old they get their baby teeth. They can eat solid food when they are 4 weeks old but their eyes don’t open until they are 5-6 weeks old, also they will drink their mother’s milk until they are about 12 weeks old. A female stoat can get pregnant when she is still blind, deaf, toothless and naked baby – at only 2-3 weeks old. Even though she is pregnant, her babies won’t grow inside her until she is an adult. They would be born the following spring.
Why They Were Introduced
Stoats were introduced from Eurasia to New Zealand in 1884 to control rabbits and hares but nobody thought it through. After about 6 Years people started to notice the native bird populations were quickly decreasing. The population of stoats is rising very fast because of their lack of predators. They live in big numbers and bred very fast which makes it hard to control the species.
How Do They Impact The BOP
Stoats don't really impact the Bay of Plenty but that impact the native birds and animals in the Bay of Plenty. Native animals can't really hide from stoats they are jack of all trades, they can climb trees, swim, run fast and they are sometimes nocturnal so it makes it hard for humans to track them down. If humans do not stop them they will eat all our native animals especially birds. If birds go extinct then trees will not spread easily because the birds eat the seeds of trees and poop the seeds out and that is where the trees grow but without birds that will not happen.
What are we doing to stop stoats in the Bay Of Plenty today
There are many different ways to kill a stoat like trapping, poison, shooting or some of the latest scientific technology that can change the stoats genes to make them die out. All these different things will help keep our native birds and lizards safe.
Trapping is a pretty good way because there are traps that can kill 24 stoats before needing to refiling, it’s called an A24. The A24 is screwed to a tree loaded and then waits for a stoat. When the stoat puts its head up the hole of the trap sensors the stoat, puts a bullet in its head and the stoat drops out dead. There are also spring-loaded traps also known as doc 150 or doc 200 the difference between spring-loaded traps and A24s is that spring loaded traps can only be used once before needing someone to reset it. People are putting traps in the BOP which is helping the problem, the biggest spot is the kaimais.
The other solution to kill stoats is by using poison. People are always in conflict with one another over this because either option results in the death of a group of animals. Yet, if it kills a few deer or other animals New Zealand has no native grown animals so it’s better to kill a few deer and the pests then the native animals. 1080 is one of the poisons that are being used to kill stoat. The substance that they use for 1080 is the salt sodium fluoroacetate, which occurs naturally in some poisonous plants, including species native to Australia, Africa, and Brazil. They use the salt because it is highly water-soluble and the white powder is readily formulated into bait products. When a stoat ingests 1080 it works the same as a naturally occurring fluoroacetate. Once within the body fluoroacetate, it is converted to fluorocitrate which affects the Krebs cycle which means that it cannot convert food into energy and then dies of respiratory failure.
What should be done in the future to stop stoats?
They are going to try and use scientific strategies to use in the future. They will try to change the stoats genes to make them die out. The will also try using biosensors to target stoats in a huge area. They will try and use powerful lures that instead of food they will rely on the scent sex. A company in Wellington called The Goodnature Company is in the progress of making a trap that uses pressurized carbon dioxide to reset themselves. Stoats have been successfully removed from three islands along the Fiordland Coast since 1998. Stoat control is also in place on 29 smaller islands along the coast. Trained predator dogs will also be used to monitor for any stoats that may invade the island.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we think that Stoats are very nasty pests and people who are stopping them by poisoning, trapping, shooting, and have even come up with another way to kill them. I think that the best way to control them is by the futuristic science solution to make them die out from there gens.
Bibliography
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“Stoat.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Mar. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoat.
Pariona, Amber. “What Are the Differences Between a Stoat and a Weasel?” WorldAtlas, 29 Sept. 2017, www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-are-the-differences-between-a-stoat-and-a-weasel.html.
“Stoats | Wild about New Zealand.” Wild about Waihi, www.wildaboutnz.co.nz/2010/12/sto
“New Zealand's Ambitious Plan to Save Native Birds: Kill Every Rat, Stoat and Possum.” Stuff, www.stuff.co.nz/environment/92543151/new-zealands-ambitious-plan-to-save-native-birds-kill-every-rat-stoat-and-possum.
“Stoat Facts.” Predator Free NZ, predatorfreenz.org/resources/introduced-predator-facts/stoat-facts/.
Wildlifetrusts. “Stoat.” Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, www.wiltshirewildlife.org/stoat.
“How Will We Remove Stoats from the Island and Prevent Them from Returning.” Secretary Island Restoration Project, www.doc.govt.nz/about-us/science-publications/conservation-publications/land-and-freshwater/offshore-islands/secretary-island-restoration-project/how-will-we-remove-stoats-from-the-island-and-prevent-them-from-returning/.
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