BBCThey are part of the world’s first plan to rid the coast of Northern Ireland of ferrets. Now, detection dog Woody has trained his nose on Rathlin’s rats.
Ferrets and mice pose a great danger to puffins and other seabirds that flock to Rathlin Island every year by the thousands.
The animals have eaten the young birds and the eggs.
Those behind the LIFE Raft project hope that the eradication of the two invasive species will help protect Rathlin’s famous seabird population.
We first met Woody, a two year old Fox Red Labrador that is an important part of the project, back in May.
They do not track the animals, but are trained to detect their droppings.
Hopefully in time, he will be able to prove that he has left the island.
“Woody is a big goof,” says his handler, Ulf Keller.
“He works for us as a detection dog. When he’s working, he’s really focused and does a great job, but when he’s not working, he’s a two-year-old, full of nuts, jumping around.
That’s when Woody’s nose became invaluable for this project – his eyes also looked great.
He wears glasses to protect him from the bushes and grass.
“He was treated like any other member of staff with PPE and broke down after detecting scat,” said Ulf.
“He likes to work, I like to work with him. I like the island. I couldn’t be better, if I’m honest, and I think he likes it too.
’27 puffins dead’
After the capture and destruction of 98 ferrets, there have been no confirmed sightings in Rathlin for a month.
But the island won’t be able to declare itself ferret-free until next year.
The animals were introduced by farmers in the 1980s to help control the rabbit population – but then began to breed and draw attention to seabirds.
Liam McFaul is the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) warden on Rathlin Island.
He has seen first hand just how much damage ferrets can do.
“It’s a bit like a fox in a hen house, they just want to kill, kill, kill,” he said.
“One ferret – one weasel – managed to get down on the bank and we went down in a small boat to set some traps to catch them and when we returned to return the traps the next day, I took the carcasses of 27 dead puffins.
“So it’s just one animal, can you imagine what a hundred people can do walking around the cliff?
“The general trend is that bird populations are declining and we would certainly expect them to recover as soon as the predators are removed.”
Mouse trap
With an estimated 10,000 rats in Rathlin, the work required to exterminate them is enormous.
About 7,000 bait stations have been installed, each 50 meters apart, including along the island’s steep cliffs.
The bait has now been placed inside the trap.
It is believed that the rats will be carried back to their graves, where they will suffocate and die.
Michael Rafferty is the Operations Manager for the LIFE Raft project.
“This is ten times what we experienced with ferrets.
“The ferret eradication is the first global, rodent eradication has happened – almost 500 cases of rodent eradication have been recorded,” he said.
“So it’s definitely achievable. What is not said is not the duty of the almighty. This is the main handling we will be doing.
Kevin Rutherford helped the mousetrap team to overcome the cliff.
“The weather has been challenging and we have cows nibbling our ropes which is not good,” he said.
“It’s a pretty big job and these bait stations will be checked every week.
“We have decades of climbing experience between us, but this is a big project. It makes us think and come up with solutions.
‘Rathlin is a special place’
Rathlin has a population of about 150.
Marianne Green is one of the islanders hoping for a home free of rats and ferrets.
“After the work started to get rid of the ferrets, people have been able to keep the chickens again which has been very good,” she said.
“And nobody wants rats. You can see quite a few of them by the harbor.
But what about those who might argue that the erasure process is cruel?
“Yes, but we’re an island, so we’re like a sanctuary for these birds,” Ms Green said.
“Rathlin is a special place, and people still own the land. And because we live on an island, we see how things can happen very quickly.
“We knew that by getting rid of the weasels and rats, we would be helping the local nesting birds.
“They’re finding it very difficult with climate change and bird flu and everything that’s going on over there, so by removing one of those pressures, it means they’ll be able to increase their numbers here.
“By removing just one hurdle for them, we hope they will once again thrive in Rathlin.”
The £4.5m LIFE Raft Project is funded by EU LIFE, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Garfield Weston Foundation and Stormont’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera).
