Three species of mustelid exist in New Zealand: stoats, ferrets, and weasels. 

Introduced into New Zealand in the 1800s, these animals have flourished in their new environment. Weasels and ferrets prefer to live in open country, preying on insects, lizards, and bird life. Stoats, unfortunately, have adapted well to living in the New Zealand bush. There, they prey on our precious native birds and their young. 

Mustelids also pose a threat to:

• our farming industries – wild ferrets can carry bovine tuberculosis (TB) which they can spread to cattle and deer herds
• poultry farms – they attack chickens and eat eggs
• domestic pets – they attack pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs.
  
  

That’s why controlling mustelids, and carrying out stoat control in particular, is vital to make sure we protect our valuable resources and native species.