Alex’s TrifectaA Rare Day on the Trapline in Dome Valley
Some days in predator control follow a familiar rhythm: traps are checked, lines are cleared, and data are recorded.
But every so often, a day breaks that routine.
Last month, Alex from The Forest Bridge Trust’s pest control team experienced something most trappers never see in their entire career.
After nearly a decade working on the trapline, Alex recorded his very first “trifecta”, catching a ferret, stoat, and weasel all in a single day.
That was just the beginning of the day’s surprises.
By the end of the round, that rare moment had turned into an extraordinary 1–2–3:
- * 1 ferret
- * 2 stoats
- * 3 weasels
Photo by: Brilly Hallet
All caught within the Dome Valley trap network.
On the same check, Alex also removed rats and hedgehogs from traps, predators that have a significant impact on our native ecosystems.
Mustelids, such as ferrets, stoats, and weasels, are highly efficient hunters. They can wipe out entire nests of ground-nesting birds in a single night, killing adult birds, chicks and eggs. Stoats in particular are known to climb trees, accessing nests that would otherwise seem safe. Ferrets pose an additional risk to larger wildlife and can travel long distances, spreading pressure across wide areas.
Rats are equally destructive, consuming eggs, chicks, seeds and insects, while hedgehogs, often seen as harmless, are voracious predators of native invertebrates and also take eggs from ground nests. Together, these species disrupt food sources, reduce breeding success, and place already vulnerable native species under constant threat.
This is the unseen work happening across the Forest Bridge landscape every single day. It’s not always dramatic, and it’s rarely visible, but it is vital. Every trap checked and every predator removed, helps tip the balance back in favour of our native species.
Moments like this highlight both the scale of the challenge and the impact of sustained, boots-on-the-ground conservation efforts, protecting the biodiversity that makes this landscape so special.