Change in Diet of Stoats Following Poisoning of Rats in a New- Zealand Forest
The abundance and diet of stoats (Mustela erminea) were compared before and after an aerial 1080-poison operation for possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) in a New Zealand podocarp- hardwood forest. Poisoning dramatically reduced ship rat (Rattus rattus) abundance. Although rats were the main prey item of stoats before the poisoning, stoat abundance was unaffected by the operation and there was a change in stoats' diet from rats to birds. The conservation benefits and risks of undertaking such operations are not clear.