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Welcome to New Zealand. A feral stoat has been seen at Auckland airport. (File photo)
“That’s a stoat” went the cry at Auckland International Airport on Thursday night as a cunning mustelid scampered around within metres of biosecurity officers.
As visitors and Kiwis returning home queued beneath signs warning of the consequences of exotic species entering the nation, the stoat watched on before scurrying behind a door about 11.30pm.
The irony was not lost on Lou Baddiley, who was amongst those queueing, having been overseas in her role as manager of international markets for RotoruaNZ.
“There weren’t too many people. I was at the front of the queue waiting to declare some German mustard and tomato sauce and some Swiss chocolate when some people behind me said ‘oh look’ and pointed at this stoat stopped in the middle of the floor,” she said.
“At first I thought it was a joke, that it was a stuffed toy of MPIs [Ministry for Primary Industries], which I thought was quite clever. Then it moved… it started running. The lady working for MPI who was directing people said ‘it’s a rodent’. So I said it wasn’t a rodent it was a stoat,” Baddiley said.
Supplied
Lou Baddiley, manager of international markets at RotoruaNZ knows a stoat when she sees one.
As someone who works in tourism, and familiar with our flora and fauna, Baddiley knows what a stoat looks like.
“I got to the counter and handed over my customs card to the man behind the counter and told him that what I was declaring was probably the least of his worries because there was a stoat running around.”
As she pointed out the stoat it ran from the booths and disappeared behind a door that said ‘Customs only’ entrance.
Abigail Dougherty/Stuff
Kiwi are being released onto Motutapu for the first time since 2020, when a stoat was detected on the pest-free island in Auckland’s Haurakui Gulf. Any kiwi chicks hatched on the island will be used to repopulate the mainland.
A Biosecurity New Zealand spokesperson said the airport company “notified us that an animal resembling a stoat or a weasel was spotted in the arrivals area by the security cameras last night”.
“The animal likely made its way into the precinct from surrounding land. There is nothing to suggest the animal came from an arriving traveller or baggage,” he said.
The airport had arranged for animal pest control services to search the arrivals area.
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