Ferret-tracking labrador retrains to protect puffins

A labrador trained to trace invasive ferrets on Rathlin Island, Northern Ireland, is being retrained to track rats as part of an effort to save the puffin population. 

Woody, the two-year-old dog, was first used to sniff out ferrets as part of LIFE Raft Project in the spring (News, 22 May). Following the removal of 98 ferrets, there has not been a confirmed sighting of the mustelids for months, although the island will not be able to declare itself ferret-free until 2025. 

Those behind the £4.5m scheme hope that the eradication of brown rats is the next step towards protecting the thousands of seabirds that breed on Rathlin. With an estimated 10,000 rats on Rathlin, 7,000 bait stations have also been laid, many of them along the island’s steep cliff faces. 

Michael Rafferty, operations manager for the LIFE Raft Project, said: “The ferret eradication is a global first, rat eradications have happened — there have been almost 500 recorded cases — so it is achievable. That doesn’t say it’s not an almighty task. It’s a major handling that we’re taking on.” 

Woody is trained to detect animal droppings, rather than the vermin themselves, and wears a pair of goggles to protect his eyes from brambles and thistles. His handler Ulf Keller said: “He is treated like any other member of staff with his [personal protection equipment] and breaks after detecting scat.”