Hundreds of traps have been placed on Rathlin Island, off the coast of Co. Antrim for the purpose of catching ferrets.
The island is an important seabird colony, the largest in Northern Ireland, but the bird populations have come under pressure from the presence of ferrets.
Puffins are a species that have been impacted significantly, as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) stated the population “has fallen by half in recent years”.
In an effort to protect the islands seabirds, the conservation project LIFE Raft (Rathlin acting for tomorrow) has placed ferret traps on Rathlin Island.
John Kelly, LIFE Raft senior programme manager said the team had “been out in all weathers, clambered around cliffs, spent weeks in a cold shed, filled out god knows how many contracts and risk assessments, and put tremendous effort into working with the community” when working on the project.
The RSPB has stated that livestock (which are mainly chickens), on Rathlin Island “will see benefits from the removal of non-native species”.
Ferret traps
There are over 450 traps on the island, and the traps will contain or humanely kill ferrets that enter them.
Up until this point the traps were pre-baited, meaning that ferrets could wander in and out.
Now, the LIFE Raft team has said the ferrets will be comfortable around the traps which gives the team the best chance of catching them.
This week, according to Kelly, the LIFE Raft team “will walk from one side of the island to the other, meticulously opening all trap stations as they go”.
He estimates this will take about five days, but acknowledged that weather and other factors can slow or speed up progress.
Through a long range wide area network (LoRaWAN) sensor, the LIFE Raft team will be alerted when the trap sensor is triggered, and know that they have to check that trap within 24 hours. Most of the kill traps have these as well.
If this strategy of pre-baiting the traps is successful, Kelly expects to see quick ferret captures followed by tapering off of the number of animals caught.
The LIFE Raft senior programme manager said he “can’t accurately predict how fast this will be but our best guess is that most animals will be captured within a few weeks”.
Rathlin Island
“We have designed this project to protect and restore Rathlin’s precious environment. We have also designed it so that no one is hurt or injured along the way,” Kelly said.
“Our traps are usually hard to spot but if you see one, please don’t interfere with the traps for your own safety,” he added.
Kelly recommends keeping dogs on a lead and away from the traps, and noted that this must be done anyway to “protect livestock” and “avoid scaring people”.
This project is funded by the EU LIFE programme, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).
The LIFE Raft senior programme manager said he is “proud” of the project team for the “huge dedication they’ve shown for Rathlin’s people and wildlife”.