Galapagos to poison 180 million rats

Invasive black rats threaten the endangered wildlife of the Galapagos Islands.

By

John Platt

Thu, Nov 15 2012 at 4:16 PM

Related Topics:

Conservation, Endangered Species, Invasive Species

Photo: Hector J. Claudio/Flickr

The largest ever operation to wipe out invasive rodents is underway in the Galapagos Islands, where officials hope to kill 180 million rats with a poison that will not harm native wildlife.

First introduced to the islands in the 17th century, the voracious black rats and Norway rats have overrun the ecosystem and taken a devastating toll on the reptiles, birds and plants of the Galapagos. Dozens of species, most of which exist nowhere else in the world, have become critically endangered. Some species, including a native Galapagos rodent called the Santa Cruz mouse, have even been driven into extinction by the invaders.

Juan Carlos Gonzalez, a specialist with the Nature Conservancy, told the Associated Press that rats are "one of the worst problems the Galapagos have." The invasive rodents reproduce four times a year and "eat everything," he said.

This is the second phase of the rodent eradication project, which began in 2011 following a pilot project in 2008. In this phase, a helicopter will be used to drop 22 tons of poison onto Pinzon Island and Plaza Sur islet. According to the AP, there are 180 million rats on the seven-square-mile Pinzon Island, or an astonishing one rat per square foot. Plaza Sur inlet is much smaller, just 24 acres in size.

The special poison for this "raticide" was developed in the U.S. by Bell Laboratories. The small blue cubes give off an aroma that is attractive to rats but repulsive to native wildlife. The poison dissolves after about a week and new doses will be dropped on the islands on a weekly basis through the end of the month. Even the rats that ingest the poison won't be a danger to the environment, as the toxin contains a special substance that will cause the rodents' bodies to quickly dry up and decay. All the same, several dozen native hawks and iguanas were captured from the island and will be kept safe until they are re-released early next year.

Phase I of this project carried a price tag of about $1 million. This phase will cost about $1.8 million. The Galapagos National Park Service, which is run by the government of Ecuador, is funding the operation in association with several nonprofits. "This is a very expensive but totally necessary war," Gonzalez told the AP.

The project needs to kill every rat on the islands in order to protect the native fauna and flora. "If we miss even one pregnant female, it won't succeed," Linda Cayot, science adviser for the Galapagos Conservancy, told the Guardian. Teams will monitor the island for a year to make sure that the rat population does not return.

The full rat eradication project will run through the year 2020. The poison will be used on uninhabited islands first before being used on the islands where people also live.

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Comments: 3

lifewatch Nov 24 2012 at 5:22 AM

LET US HELP SAVE THE GALAPAGOS FROM CERTAIN POISONING The rodenticides Galapagos authorities plan to use are lethal to the food chain. Their anticoagulant effect does not kill the rats or mice immediately. These rodents live for several hours after ingesting the sweet smelling pellets. They in turn are eaten by: snakes, seagulls, frogs, birds of prey, all which in turn will perish as the poisoned rodents will introduce their poison on their predators. The pellets are sweet smelling, and can attract

.... More

other species as well as taint the water tables should their containers spill and roll on the soil. This is a serious domino effect to all wildlife involved. The seagulls are at times ingested by the seals etc so marine wildlife will also be affected. Pets, children are often poisoned if in contact with the rodenticides. This serious problem has been addressed by BERKELEY CALIF's municipality among others, and they use rodenticides IN BLOCKS so these do not spill and more importantly, rodents who nibble on these blocks if ingested by prey, will not kill their predators, thus it is safe. The product is manufactured by JTEaton here is information that will explain it . We have no vested interest in this, as our organization only suggests practical solutions that affect the planet. http://www.jteaton.com/retail_productpage.php?id=2 JT Eaton bait blocks manufactures a safe rodenticide now used in San Francisco. THE AUDUBON SOCIETY EXPLAINS MANY POINTS:http://www.goldengateaudubon.org/conservation/make-the-city-safe-for-wil... compliments of www.lifewatchgroup.orghttp://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/uploadedFiles/Clerk/Level_3_-_City_Council/... COMPLIMENTS WWW.LIFEWATCHGROUP.ORG