At Tasmanian Times in this link HERE and in many comments I warned about this impending disaster…
Poison baits kill over 400 Macquarie Island birds
The number of birds killed on sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island after being exposed to poison is worse than first thought.
Two months ago Parks and Wildlife admitted 300 birds had been killed after being exposed to poison pellets.
The baits were laid as part of a $24 million bid to rid the island of rats, rabbits and mice.
Now it has been revealed that 431 birds have died, including kelp gulls, giant petrels and black ducks.
Ian Rist took an interest in the eradication program and was concerned about the chosen poison, brodifacoum.
He wrote to the Federal Environment Department which revealed that the level of bird deaths was higher than first thought and a review was underway.
Since discovered, Macquarie Island has fired the imagination of adventurers and scientists.
The island lies about half way between Tasmania and Antarctica and for decades has been a centre for research.
It was first recorded 200 years ago in July 1810.
Dr David Obendorf:
The last sentence should read: “Macquarie Island was first discovered 200 years ago in 1810.”
Macca’s feral animal eradication program was a disaster that was set in train more than 10 years ago when someone decided to ‘eradicate’ feral cats from the island using taxpayer funds.
They got the money and they eradicated feral cats.
In itself the removal of this very efficient predator species was justified but at the time the feral cat on Macca was a significant determinator of the population size of the introduced rabbits, rats and mice.
How does the age-old adage go? “While the cat’s away the mice do play”.
Getting rid of feral cats on Macca was relatively easy (dedicated & hard work for some in the field). Successful exterminations of predator mammals across the world (including Tasmania!) would prove that it can be done if you’re set on it.
But to then suggest the increases in rabbit and rodents numbers on Macca and their impact was due to Climate Change alone…..give me a break!
The ecological meltdown on Macca today that forced the Commonwealth Governmemt’s invest in a $25 million program over ~5 years in now trying to remove these prey species of the feral cats IS the legacy of poor application of risk assessment to unwanted, invasive species 15 to 20 years ago.
This comment first appeared as comment below …
The story goes global:
HERE
