Mice on remote island that eat albatrosses alive sentenced to death by bombing
On August 24, conservationists revealed their ambitious plan to combat an escalating ecological crisis on Marion Island, situated approximately 2,000 kilometers southeast of Cape Town.
The island, home to a significant portion of the world’s wandering albatross population, is overrun by mice that are devastating the local seabird population. These rodents have begun consuming live birds, a new and troubling behavior, leading to severe impacts on the island’s avian species.
Dr. Mark Anderson, a key figure in the Mouse-Free Marion Project and CEO of BirdLife South Africa, described the dire situation at a BirdLife South Africa meeting.
Gruesome images showed the extent of the damage, with seabirds, including the endangered wandering albatross, being attacked and eaten alive by mice. Of the 29 seabird species that breed on the island, 19 are now at risk of local extinction due to these rodent invasions.
The project, considered one of the most crucial bird conservation efforts globally, aims to eradicate the mice population by dropping 600 tonnes of pesticide-laced pellets from helicopters in 2027, AFP reported.
The timing of the operation is critical; it will occur during the island’s winter when the mice are most hungry, and the seabirds are mostly absent. This meticulous strategy is designed to ensure that every last mouse is eliminated, preventing any potential resurgence.
Climate change has exacerbated the problem by extending the mice’s breeding season, leading them to prey on the island’s birds.
The mice were originally introduced in the early 1800s, and while cats were later introduced to control their numbers, they became a larger problem, killing hundreds of thousands of birds annually before their eradication in 1991.
With around a quarter of the necessary $29 million raised, the project underscores the ultimate goal: to halt the rapid decline of seabird populations and restore balance to this vital ecosystem.
