<p>The country of South Africa is planning to bomb its Marion Island, a remote island around 2,000 kilometres southeast of Cape Town.</p>

<p>The country has been thinking of taking such a drastic action because an unnerving drama is unfolding on the island, which is, the seabirds, especially albatrosses, falling prey to mice.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The country has come up with the world’s most pivotal&nbsp;bird conservation effort, which is the Mouse-Free Marion Project.&nbsp;</p>

<p>As part of the project, helicopters will be deployed to disperse (or bomb) 600 tonnes of rodenticide-laced pellets across the island.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The project has till now not been funded and a quarter of the $29 million, which is needed, has been raised.</p>

<p>The plan is to strike mice in winter 2027, when they are most famished and the summer-breeding birds are gone.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also Read:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/bird-genes-store-memories-of-dinosaur-extiction-here-is-how-749319">Bird genes 'store' memories of dinosaur extinction: Here is how</a></p>

<p>The operation will only be successful when every inch of the 25-kilometre-long and 17-kilometre-wide island gets covered.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“We have to get rid of every last mouse. If there was a male and female remaining, they could breed and eventually get back to where we are now," said Anderson.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>What is happening between mice and seabirds on Marion Island?</strong></h2>

<p>Marion Island is a nesting ground for various seabirds, including the&nbsp;albatross. But now they are under threat as hordes of mice are preying on them and eating their eggs, as confirmed by conservationist Mark Anderson in a meeting of BirdLife South Africa.</p>

<p>“These mice, for the first time last year, were found to be feeding on adult Wandering Albatrosses,” said Anderson, who is the CEO of&nbsp;BirdLife South Africa.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Egg prices climb on bird flu impact</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/egg-prices-climb-on-bird-flu-impact-751382/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>According to the Mouse-Free Marion Project, among the 29 species of seabirds on the island, 19 are facing the threat of local extinction.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“Mice just climb onto them and slowly eat them until they succumb,” Anderson said. “We are losing hundreds of thousands of seabirds every year through the mice," he added.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


The country of South Africa is planning to bomb its Marion Island, a remote island around 2,000 kilometres southeast of Cape Town. The country has been thinking of taking such a drastic action because an unnerving drama is unfolding on the island, which is, the seabirds, especially albatrosses, falling prey to mice.

The country of South Africa is planning to bomb its Marion Island, a remote island around 2,000 kilometres southeast of Cape Town. The country has been thinking of taking such a drastic action because an unnerving drama is unfolding on the island, which is, the seabirds, especially albatrosses, falling prey to mice. The country has come up with the world’s most pivotal bird conservation effort, which is the Mouse-Free Marion Project. As part of the project, helicopters will be deployed to disperse (or bomb) 600 tonnes of rodenticide-laced pellets across the island. The project has till now not been funded and a quarter of the $29 million, which is needed, has been raised. The plan is to strike mice in winter 2027, when they are most famished and the summer-breeding birds are gone. Also Read: Bird genes 'store' memories of dinosaur extinction: Here is how The operation will only be successful when every inch of the 25-kilometre-long and 17-kilometre-wide island gets covered. “We have to get rid of every last mouse. If there was a male and female remaining, they could breed and eventually get back to where we are now," said Anderson. What is happening between mice and seabirds on Marion Island? Marion Island is a nesting ground for various seabirds, including the albatross. But now they are under threat as hordes of mice are preying on them and eating their eggs, as confirmed by conservationist Mark Anderson in a meeting of BirdLife South Africa. “These mice, for the first time last year, were found to be feeding on adult Wandering Albatrosses,” said Anderson, who is the CEO of BirdLife South Africa. Watch: Egg prices climb on bird flu impact According to the Mouse-Free Marion Project, among the 29 species of seabirds on the island, 19 are facing the threat of local extinction. “Mice just climb onto them and slowly eat them until they succumb,” Anderson said. “We are losing hundreds of thousands of seabirds every year through the mice," he added. (With inputs from agencies)

South Africa plans to bomb its island soon to eradicate 'killer' mice

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<p>In an attempt to save rare seabirds, the California Coastal Commission in the United States has given a go ahead to a plan for air dropping rat poison on the Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge. It will help in&nbsp;curbing mice population on the islands.&nbsp;</p>

<p>This agency, which regulates coastline of California, approved the idea by voting 5-3 in its favour on Thursday night.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/after-getting-drugged-with-cocaine-and-flushed-by-owner-pet-monkey-recovers-in-uk-438117" hreflang="en">After getting drugged with cocaine and flushed by owner, pet monkey recovers in UK</a></strong></p>

<p>According to the plan, around 3,000 pounds of rat poison will be air dropped from helicopters on the rocky islands off San Francisco coast, which are home to innumerable breeding birds. &nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The government is planning to drop rat poison onto California islands that are home to vulnerable sea mammal + sea bird populations.<br />
<br />
It wants to kill off mice brought to the island by boats, but activists say the poison will also kill any animals that eat them. <a href="https://t.co/NV3IbtKdMz">pic.twitter.com/NV3IbtKdMz</a></p>
— AJ+ (@ajplus) <a href="https://twitter.com/ajplus/status/1149288336646971393?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 11, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<p>This move, however, will also need approval from US Fish and Wildlife Service regional director. Even then, it may take around two years before the programme actually gets underway, the officials said. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>The around 300,000-strong breeding seabirds at Farallon Islands refuge are being threatened by mice, which arrived at the island aboard ships over a century ago. &nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/corals-in-the-great-barrier-reef-could-become-target-of-mass-bleaching-438108" hreflang="en">Corals in the Great Barrier Reef could become target of mass bleaching</a></strong></p>

<p>In recent years, the population of mouse has exploded, which has attracted burrowing owls. These owls also prey on the ashy storm-petrel, the officials said. &nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">In April, radio-collared mountain lion P-47 was discovered dead in California after exposure to rat poison. Using indiscriminate control, such as poisons, causes undue suffering + devastation to our wild community.<br />
Protect our wildlife. Skip the poison. <a href="https://t.co/BUAzsVczB9">https://t.co/BUAzsVczB9</a> <a href="https://t.co/RiJLQ0wtWs">pic.twitter.com/RiJLQ0wtWs</a></p>
— Wolf Conservation Center (@nywolforg) <a href="https://twitter.com/nywolforg/status/1153691294054658054?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<p>At the meeting, Gerry McChesney, manager, wildlife refuge, said, "This project is necessary and is the right thing to do to stop the ecosystem carnage done by mice: A human-caused problem." &nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;</em></p>


In an attempt to save rare seabirds, the California Coastal Commission in the United States has given a go ahead to a plan for air dropping rat poison on the Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge.

In an attempt to save rare seabirds, the California Coastal Commission in the United States has given a go ahead to a plan for air dropping rat poison on the Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge. It will help in curbing mice population on the islands. This agency, which regulates coastline of California, approved the idea by voting 5-3 in its favour on Thursday night. Also Read: After getting drugged with cocaine and flushed by owner, pet monkey recovers in UK According to the plan, around 3,000 pounds of rat poison will be air dropped from helicopters on the rocky islands off San Francisco coast, which are home to innumerable breeding birds. The government is planning to drop rat poison onto California islands that are home to vulnerable sea mammal + sea bird populations. It wants to kill off mice brought to the island by boats, but activists say the poison will also kill any animals that eat them. pic.twitter.com/NV3IbtKdMz — AJ+ (@ajplus) July 11, 2019 × This move, however, will also need approval from US Fish and Wildlife Service regional director. Even then, it may take around two years before the programme actually gets underway, the officials said. The around 300,000-strong breeding seabirds at Farallon Islands refuge are being threatened by mice, which arrived at the island aboard ships over a century ago. Also Read: Corals in the Great Barrier Reef could become target of mass bleaching In recent years, the population of mouse has exploded, which has attracted burrowing owls. These owls also prey on the ashy storm-petrel, the officials said. In April, radio-collared mountain lion P-47 was discovered dead in California after exposure to rat poison. Using indiscriminate control, such as poisons, causes undue suffering + devastation to our wild community. Protect our wildlife. Skip the poison. https://t.co/BUAzsVczB9 pic.twitter.com/RiJLQ0wtWs — Wolf Conservation Center (@nywolforg) July 23, 2019 × At the meeting, Gerry McChesney, manager, wildlife refuge, said, "This project is necessary and is the right thing to do to stop the ecosystem carnage done by mice: A human-caused problem." (With inputs from agencies)

To save rare seabirds, US officials to air drop 3,000 pounds of rat poison on coastal islands

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