New Zealand has turned many of its offshore islands into introduced-predator-free sanctuaries for native wildlife but Stoats, also known as Ermine or Short-Tailed Weasel, which were originally introduced to New Zealand to combat the introduced rabbit population, recently showed up on two different offshore islands, one of which was over five kilometers offshore. Previously, scientists had pegged the maximum range of a swimming stoat at 1.5 kilometers. It takes great expense and labor to clear an island of predators and no one can be pleased that the islands might have to be cleared repeatedly.
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