Have you seen a ferret?

We have over 450 ferret traps activated around the island which should cover the home ranges of every ferret. The first two weeks of trapping have gone very well despite the storms and wet weather. We will share an update about our progress later this week.

Over the coming weeks, our strategy will evolve. This is because we expect ferret behaviour to change during the winter months and there will also be fewer ferrets about. This may mean our team will need to move the traps as we learn where ferret hotspots are (at the moment the traps are spaced every 250m).

This is why we are asking for help from the island community and visitors.

 

Have you seen a ferret or any signs of a ferret?

If you think you have seen a ferret, please tell us as soon as possible. We have created an online form on the Rathlin 360 Website –

• Submit a sighting | Rathlin Island, Northern Ireland’s only inhabited island (rathlin360.com)

The What3Words app is a particularly precise way of providing the exact location.

Or if you prefer, you can send a text message or WhatsApp message to Kirsty or Charlie in our team (their phone numbers are available on posters locally on the island). Please include the details of your sightings and maybe even a location map if you can.

 

Help identifying ferrets or their tracks and signs

I’m sure most people will know how to identify a ferret but for anyone that doesn’t ….

• Ferrets can be recognised by their slender bodies, short legs and long necks, they have rodent-like faces and rounded ears. There are no weasels or stoats on Rathlin so if you see something that looks like a ferret, it probably is!
• Their fur can be black, brown, white, or a mixture of those colours.
• They are around 40cm – 50cm in length.

When am I most likely to see ferrets?

You are most likely to see these animals around the hours of dawn and dusk when they are most active – but with lower numbers on island, this typical behaviour may change.

 

Tracks and signs

If you see any ferret tracks, that is a great indication they are in the area so please let us know about track sighting and scat as well.

Ferrets have five toes in a splayed, star shape and their claw marks may also be visible in the mud or sand.

Ferret scat is normally tubular in shape and can vary in colour depending on their diet.

Can I check anywhere in particular?

Please check around your sheds and outbuilding. We expect ferrets to use these areas more and more as winter comes in.

 

Don’t delay, tell us today.

Hopefully early in the New Year we will have a new conservation detection dog joining the team which will be a fantastic resource to help us follow up on the remaining ferrets on the island.

We are in the process of creating a short-list of all the brilliant names suggested for this dog. We will ask you to vote on these names very soon…

 

Kirsty Benton, LIFE Raft Community Engagement Assistant