This work was done in mink which I believe that I have read are closer
to polecats and ferrets than stoats are.  To date, because they insist
that those animals pose a threat to the ground nesting bird species
(which they do, though studies have found other introduced animals such
as the rat to be worse) nasty approaches to control have been used or
studied such as trapping, shooting, or poisoning (including with some
synthetic pyrethrins in one study).  This one instead makes reproduction
ineffective, so unless it causes any different problem it is a more
humane approach:
 
>Reprod Fertil Dev. 2006;18(6):703-8.
>
>Bait-delivered pimozide causes precocious embryo implantation in mink:
>a fertility control option for the exotic stoat?
>
>Marks CA, Lindeberg H, Van Cleeff J.
>Nocturnal Wildlife Research, PO Box 2126, Wattletree Road RPO, East
>Malvern, Vic. 3145, Australia.
>
>Stoats (Mustela erminea), an exotic pest in New Zealand, threaten
>the conservation of several ground-nesting bird species and broad-scale
>methods for their control are sought.  Females are seasonally monestrous,
>show a 9-month period of obligatory diapause and usually do not breed
>more than once in their lives.  A bait- delivered agent that terminates
>diapause and results in a non- viable embryo may have a significant
>impact on their reproductive success.  Prolactin (PRL) is hypothesised
>to be the only gonadotrophin required for renewal of luteal activity and
>blastocyst implantation in some mustelids.  We investigated the effects
>of bait-delivered dopamine (DA) antagonists (which stimulate the release
>of PRL) using a mink model (Mustela vison), a species that maintains a
>short period of diapause.  A bait dose of 0.8 mg kg(-1) of pimozide
>was more effective in elevating PRL levels than equivalent doses of
>fluphenazine, sulpiride (P < 0.01) or haloperidol (P < 0.05).  Bait
>doses of 1.6 mg kg(-1) pimozide given at Days 0, 3, 9 and 11 after
>mating caused a significant reduction in the length of pregnancy
>compared with a positive control and placebo (46 days v.  51 days),
>indicating early termination of diapause (P < 0.01).  Pimozide doses
>caused higher elevations in PRL concentration relative to the oral
>placebo by Day 12, but mean PRL levels fell below all other groups
>by Day 18.  A borderline significant increase in progesterone (P4)
>secretion compared with the oral placebo was detected at Day 18.  These
>results suggest that bait-delivered pimozide can elevate PRL outside of
>the normal breeding season and doses of 1.6 mg kg(-1) are effective in
>terminating embryonic diapause in mink.  The implications and limitations
>of these data are discussed with reference to the use of bait-delivered
>DA antagonists as a possible means to affect the reproductive success of
>wild stoats.  PMID: 16930517 [PubMed - in process]
 
-- Sukie (not a vet, and not speaking for any of the below in my
private posts)
Recommended health resources to help ferrets and the people who love
them:
Ferret Health List
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth
FHL Archives
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
AFIP Ferret Pathology
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
Miamiferrets
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
International Ferret Congress Critical References
http://www.ferretcongress.org
[Posted in FML issue 5348]