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Last stoat on Rousay island evades capture as £150,000 hunt enters its FIFTH MONTH

From the Newshound archive · first published 21 September 2026 · last updated 22 September 2026.

A lone male stoat on Rousay has evaded 229 traps, 59 AI-equipped cameras and detection dogs across the two-mile-wide Orkney island since at least 6 September.
A lone male stoat on Rousay has evaded 229 traps, 59 AI-equipped cameras and detection dogs across the two-mile-wide Orkney island since at least 6 September.

A single male stoat on the Orkney island of Rousay has outwitted conservationists for five months despite a £150,000 operation deploying over 200 traps, 59 cameras, AI technology, and specially trained detection dogs. The most recent confirmed sighting was captured on camera on September 6, but the animal remains at large. The stoat has reportedly again evaded the latest hunt efforts, with the operation no closer to a conclusion.

The £148,790 in additional funding was approved in June and revealed only after a Freedom of Information request.

The stoat threatens nesting curlews, lapwings and oystercatchers, as well as the endemic Orkney vole — vital prey for hen harriers and short-eared owls.

Conservationists warn that if stoats were to establish a breeding population on Rousay, the invasive predator could spread to neighbouring islands that are currently free of it.

MoreGB NewsSolitary stoat evades £150,000 manhunt as invasive predator dodges capture in five-month sagaThe TelegraphLast remaining stoat evades hunt on Scottish island - The TelegraphDaily MailHow £15k has been poured into stoat hunt - and it's still on the looseThe SunMajor search for 12-inch predator threatening wildlife on island – as thermal drones and dogs deployed in £150k huntThe Irish SunMajor search for 12-inch predator on island as drone & dog units deployed - The Irish Sun
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