CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — 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 (297 square kilometers) to ensure success.
If even one pregnant mouse survives, their prolific breeding ability means it may have all been for nothing.
The Mouse-Free Marion project — pest control on a grand scale — is seen as critical for the ecology of the uninhabited South African territory and the wider Southern Ocean. It would be the largest eradication of its kind if it succeeds.
Kate Hudson hits the stage to debut songs from her new album Glorious at star
Automotive future lies in integrated technology: Research
Pioneering zone to be launched in Hunan to propel Sino
How Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could make the first debate stage
Guangdong's manufacturers stand out from pack
Boeing committed to forging closer partnership with China for common development
Dame Judi Dench's tears as she receives Sycamore Gap tree seedling at Chelsea Flower Show
Demand from China drives U.S.' soybean trade
Sophie Morgan suddenly quits ITV show Loose Women as she reveals plans for emigration
Demand from China drives U.S.' soybean trade