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Mass Extermination Planned for Invasive Mice on Marion Island

The Mouse-Free Marion project aims to eradicate over a million mice threatening the island's biodiversity with a large-scale rodenticide bait operation.

This undated handout photo shows a house mouse on Marion Island, South Africa. Mice that were brought by mistake to a remote island near Antarctica 200 years ago are breeding out of control because of climate change, eating seabirds and causing major harm in a special nature reserve with “unique biodiversity.” Now conservationists are planning a mass extermination using helicopters and hundreds of tons of rodent poison. (Stefan and Janine Schoombie via AP)
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Overview

  • A remote island near Antarctica, Marion Island, is overrun by over a million mice, threatening the island's unique biodiversity and rare seabird species.
  • The Mouse-Free Marion project plans to use helicopters to spread 550 tons of rodenticide bait across the island in an effort to eradicate the invasive mice population.
  • Rising global temperatures have been identified as a contributing factor to the mice's breeding out of control, endangering nearly 30 bird species.
  • Previous efforts to control the mice population, including the introduction of cats, have failed, leading to further ecological issues.
  • The eradication project, set to potentially begin in 2027, requires $25 million in funding and aims to preserve the island's unique biodiversity.