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Birds and reindeer at risk in South Georgia rat cull
08/03/2010
It has been announced that an unprecedented five-year rat culling project is to take place on the British island territory of South Georgia, in a bid to save endangered birds. However, the use of poison to kill the rodents will itself pose a huge risk to the island’s rare bird population.
Millions of rodents need to be exterminated in order to save the birdlife of the Southern Atlantic island. The rats first arrived on whaling vessels and have since overrun the island, feasting on flora and fauna. Particularly concerning is the fact that 31 species of bird use the island for breeding and a further 50 species have been seen on the island.
The cull is being organised by South Georgia Heritage Trust and is costing £6 million. The plan involves using aircraft to drop poisonous pellets from the air, which will kill the rats who eat them by causing internal bleeding.
However, the organisers fear that “hundreds, if not thousands” of birds will be lost through the use of poison, while the island’s reindeer population will have to be either relocated or shot during the cull.
