New Zealand Journal of Zoology abstracts
Home range and spatial organisation of stoats (Mustela erminea), ferrets
(Mustela furo) and feral house cats (Felis catus) on coastal
grasslands, Otago Peninsula, New Zealand: implications
for yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes) conservation
HENRIK MOLLER
Department of Zoology
University of Otago
P.O. Box 56
Dunedin, New Zealand
NIC ALTERIO
Ecosystems Consultants
P.O. Box 6161
Dunedin, New Zealand
Abstract This radio-tracking study reports the home range and
spatial organisation of 12 stoats (
Mustela erminea), 21 feral ferrets
(
Mustela furo) and 11 feral house cats (
Felis catus) in coastal
grasslands surrounding yellow-eyed penguin (
Megadyptes antipodes)
breeding colonies, Otago Peninsula, South Island, New Zealand. Fully revealed
ranges averaged 133 (+/-
52 SD) ha for 6 male stoats; 83 (+/-
73 SD) ha for 2 female stoats; 163 (+/-
50 SD) ha for 6 male
ferrets; 135 (+/-
44 SD) ha for 10 female ferrets; 207 (+/-
99 SD) for 7 male cats; and 148 (+/-
63 SD) ha for 3 female
cats. Males had larger ranges than females, and the larger predators ranged
over greater areas than the smaller predators. Mustelids did not have
intrasexual territorial spacing systems. Similarly, mustelid and cat ranges
overlapped extensively, though stoats may avoid ferrets and/or cats by using
different micro-habitats. An example on how the logic of this argument applies
to protect yellow-eyed penguins threatened by stoats or ferrets and cats
follows: based on minimum home range size, control stations should be placed
less than 638 and 964 m apart respectively to ensure all individual
predators are at risk of being killed. Investigation of the number of control
stations per home range to ensure all trappable predators are killed would
allow improved cost-effectiveness of control programmes. As an interim protocol
we recommend control stations spaced 286 and 432 m apart on trapping grids
to control stoats and ferrets/cats repectively.
Keywords Mustela erminea; Mustela furo;
Felis catus; stoats; ferrets; cats; radio-tracking; home range; spatial
organisation; predator control; yellow-eyed penguins; conservation
Z98001
Received 5 January 1998; accepted 11 March 1999
PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (998K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)
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