Rangers are checking the fence at Wellington eco-sanctuary Zealandia, after finding a weasel dead in a trap

More traps are being set, alongside trail cameras watching for predators posing a threat to the enclosed area's native species.

The sanctuary's not sure how the weasel got in, but says they can get through holes the diameter of a thumb.

It will also bring in a specialist predator detector dog, to make sure there are no further threats.