In a bold move to save Albatrosses, conservationists on Marion Island plan to use pesticide-laced pellets to eliminate mice ravaging seabird colonies.
Mark Anderson highlighted at a recent gathering how hungry mice are now attacking adult Wandering Albatrosses.
Grim images from the meeting showed the brutal impact of the mice on birds.
Seabird Species on the Brink of Extinction
Among 29 seabird species on Marion Island, 19 are on the brink of extinction, according to the Mouse-Free Marion Project.
Anderson stressed the urgent need to protect vulnerable birds from the ongoing mouse attacks.
The Mouse-Free Marion Project is funding an operation to drop rodenticide-laced pellets via helicopters in 2027 to target the voracious mice.
Helicopter crews must cover the island’s vast terrain to eradicate every mouse and prevent their return.
Climate Change Worsening the Ecological Imbalance
Warmer temperatures from climate change have worsened the mouse problem, pushing them to prey on birds.
Introduced in the early 1800s, house mice multiplied until cats were introduced in 1948 to control them. After a cat eradication project in 1991, mice thrived.
South Africa faces a critical task to save Marion Island‘s seabirds from the devastating impact of the invasive mice.
