Predator-proof fences are critical for eco-sanctuaries but without monitoring behind the fence a predator incursion may go unnoticed with catastrophic consequences. We recently read a distressing article in a back issue of Wilderness magazine about a stoat intrusion at the predator fenced Orokonui Ecosanctuary in Otago. The stoat was detected after the sanctuary's population of South Island saddleback mysteriously disappeared.
Unfortunately a mated female stoat is able to delay the onset of her pregnancy until conditions to raise her young are optimal so it only requires one intrusion to result in the establishment of a small population. You can download a copy of the article here. |
What's in a Name?The familiar saying "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" warns about the risks that come with trying to achieve more by challenging the status quo. Categories
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