Invasive mice are devouring albatrosses alive on a remote island in the Indian Ocean, so conservationists have come up with an explosive solution — “bombing” the mice.
Mice have been wreaking havoc on Marion Island, between South Africa and Antarctica, for decades. Humans accidentally introduced the mice in the 19th century, and the rodents have since developed a taste for wandering albatrosses (Diomedea exulans) and other threatened seabirds.
The Mouse-Free Marion Project, a collaboration between the South African government and BirdLife South Africa, is trying to raise $29 million to drop 660 tons (600 metric tons) of rodenticide-laced pellets onto the island in winter 2027, AFP news agency reported on Saturday (Aug. 24).
The project plans to send a squad of helicopters to drop the pellets. By striking in winter when the mice are most hungry, the conservationists hope to eradicate the entire mouse population of up to 1 million individuals.
I think it’s partially an emotional thing. Considering some people here see humans and other animals as equals, stuff like
can sound downright evil. But handling invasive species absolutely requires measures like this or else the native species and ecosystem will continue to suffer.
Yeah I mean I get that sure. For example I am vegan and I also fuckin love cardinals. Cutest birds/creatures in the entire world in my opinion. I have names for all the cardinals on my street and recognize them individually. However, every single cardinal living on Hawaii has to die. If I personally had to kill one it would probably give me PTSD. I accidentally killed one in RDR2 once and still feel bad about it. But they all gotta go. The way to think about it I guess is that the crime has already taken place. We doomed these creatures as soon as we unleashed them upon the land where they cause all this trouble. And now it’s just paying the price for that action which was so easy at the time.