JOHANNESBURG: Conservationists have announced plans to bomb a remote South African island with pesticide-laced pellets to eradicate a mice infestation that is threatening seabird populations. Marion Island, located about 2,000 kilometers southeast of Cape Town, has seen mice attacking and consuming eggs and even live birds, including the iconic Wandering Albatross, which nests in significant numbers on the island.
Mark Anderson, a conservationist and CEO of BirdLife South Africa, highlighted the severe impact of the infestation, with gruesome images showing bloodied birds and mice feeding on adult albatrosses for the first time last year. Of the 29 seabird species breeding on Marion Island, 19 are now threatened with local extinction due to the mice.
The Mouse-Free Marion Project, a major bird conservation initiative, aims to address the problem by dropping 600 tonnes of rodenticide-laced pellets from helicopters in winter 2027, when the mice are most active and the breeding birds are mostly absent. The project has raised about a quarter of its $29 million goal and is preparing for the challenging operation to ensure complete eradication of the mice.
The infestation, exacerbated by climate change and previous unsuccessful attempts at control, has led to significant seabird casualties. House mice were first introduced to the island in the early 1800s, followed by an ill-fated attempt to control them with cats in 1948. After the eradication of the last cat in 1991, the mice population surged, prompting the urgent need for this extensive conservation effort.
