Dog’s vital role to aid Orkney wildlife

A NEW Zealand-based dog and his handler are set to begin their work on a major wildlife conservation project in Orkney.

The Orkney Native Wildlife Project aims to protect the indigenous wildlife on the islands by removing stoats – an invasive nonnative predator first recorded eight years ago.

The scheme, a partnership between Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and RSPB Scotland, intends to protect local wildlife such as the Orkney vole, hen harrier, short-eared owl, red-throated divers, Arctic terns and curlews, which are said to face a “serious threat” from stoats.

The four-year-old fox terrier, named Macca, is a conservation detection dog specially trained to uncover signs of the mammals.

Over the next three months, he and handler Angela Newport will systematically search for signs of stoats on the islands around Orkney’s main island which are thought to be at high-risk from invasion by the animals, which can swim.

Their work is a key part of on-the-ground preparations before the start of the programme to actually remove stoats from Orkney.

Ms Newport, 38, from North Canterbury near Christchurch, said: “We are here to do what we do best; seek out the sign or scent of stoat presence, particularly on the islands surrounding Mainland Orkney.

“Mac loves his job and is surely happy to be here, and he does have a rather Scottish sounding name, which hopefully puts him in good stead for making friends.”