Mice accidentally introduced to a remote island near Antarctica 200 years ago are breeding out of control because of climate change, and they are eating seabirds and causing major harm in a special nature reserve with “unique biodiversity.” Now conservationists are planning a mass extermination using helicopters and hundreds of tons of rodent poison, which needs to be dropped over every part of Marion Island's 115 square miles to ensure success.
Conservationists estimate that if nothing is done, 19 seabird species will disappear from the island in 50 to 100 years, he said. “This incredibly important island as a haven for seabirds has a very tenuous future because of the impacts of mice,” Wolfaardt said. The eradication project is a single shot at success, with not even a whisker of room for error. Burgeoning mice and rat populations have been problematic for other islands.