The unique bird and reptile species that make the Galapagos Islands a treasure
for scientists and tourists must be preserved — that means hundreds of millions
of rats must die.
A helicopter will begin dropping 22 tons of
specialty designed poison bait on an island Thursday, which launches the second
phase of a campaign to clear out non-native rodents by 2020 from the
archipelago that helped inspire Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.
The invasive Norway and black rats, introduced
by whalers and buccaneers beginning in the 17th century, feed on the eggs and
hatchlings of the islands’ native species, which include giant tortoises, lava
lizards, snakes, hawks and iguanas. Rats have also depleted plants on which
native species feed.
The rats have critically endangered bird species
on the 19-island cluster 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) from Ecuador’s coast.
“It’s one of the worst problems the Galapagos
have,” said Juan Carlos Gonzalez, a specialist with the Nature Conservancy
involved in the Phase II eradication operation on Pinzon island and the islet
of Plaza Sur. “Rats reproduce every three months and eat everything.”
Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/lifestyle/2012/11/15/galapagos-islands-rats-targeted-death-save-birds/#ixzz2CUCGzBIz
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