New Zealand to wipe out every last RAT !

[Social Media]

New Zealand seeks to exterminate predators to save native birds 

On a bright Sunday morning the wildlife-lovers gather in Miramar, a scenic peninsula. They are on an exterminating mission.

Predator-Free Miramar aims to protect birds in this area of Wellington, New Zealand's capital, by ridding it of rats - every last one of them.

After donning hi-vis jackets, the volunteers are handed peanut butter - ideal bait for rodents - and poison.

Each is assigned a patch where they will check coil traps and toxin-laced bait boxes. "Good luck fellows," says Dan Coup, who leads the group.

 

A GPS app guides Coup through the bush to devices on his route. For each one he replaces the bait and updates the information on the app. None shows signs of a visit by a rat.

But as he surveys the ground for droppings and other clues, his phone vibrates. One participant has posted an image to their WhatsApp group: a dead rat in a trap.

This is not welcome news. "Dave will feel good that he's caught it, but we feel sad that there's still a rat," Coup sighs.

Eradicating rats and other predators is the goal not just for Miramar but for all New Zealand. The government expects the task to be completed by 2050.

 

full story

[Tug]

Does the poison affect any critter who might eat the dead rat?that would be my only concern 

[scottiejohn]

So no more rats for use in lab experiments?

[Neeranam]

I wish Hua Hin would kill all he snakes. 

[Maybole]

Ambitious, however rats breed so fast they soon replace all their dead pals. I think it is unlikely to succeed.

[kwonitoy]

They can join Alberta as a rat free zone.

I never saw a rat until my 30's, in Mexico

 

 

 

[SunnyinBangrak]

Sounds like sheer madness. Rats and other vermin play crucial roles in the ecosystem. They are food for multiple predators from birds to larger mammals and reptiles. They are effective at keeping certain pests under control. Their poop is effective fertilizer. Just mind boggling the Ardern lady thinks she knows more than the creator.

 Headline in 20 years time. New Zealand to re-introduce rats after horrendous crop failures!

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, SunnyinBangrak said:

Sounds like sheer madness. Rats and other vermin play crucial roles in the ecosystem. They are food for multiple predators from birds to larger mammals and reptiles. They are effective at keeping certain pests under control. Their poop is effective fertilizer. Just mind boggling the Ardern lady thinks she knows more than the creator.

 Headline in 20 years time. New Zealand to re-introduce rats after horrendous crop failures!

Rats are not native to NZ or AUS.

If the creator had wanted them there, he would have put them there.

[tilaceer]

1 hour ago, SunnyinBangrak said:

Sounds like sheer madness. Rats and other vermin play crucial roles in the ecosystem. They are food for multiple predators from birds to larger mammals and reptiles. They are effective at keeping certain pests under control. Their poop is effective fertilizer. Just mind boggling the Ardern lady thinks she knows more than the creator.

 Headline in 20 years time. New Zealand to re-introduce rats after horrendous crop failures!

Do you have any idea the amount of damage introduced species do to the native species and habitats of these countries ?
Rats, feral cats, rabbits, carp, foxes, water buffaloes, camels, horses, cane toads, goats. pigs not to mention introduced invasive plant species such as blackberries, thistle and prickly pear etc . Australia and NZ aside, look at the problems associated with reticulated pythons and the Tegu lizards in Florida.
Yeah, she knows more than the "creator"......or you.
Do some research before posting tripe.

[placeholder]

9 hours ago, SunnyinBangrak said:

Sounds like sheer madness. Rats and other vermin play crucial roles in the ecosystem. They are food for multiple predators from birds to larger mammals and reptiles. They are effective at keeping certain pests under control. Their poop is effective fertilizer. Just mind boggling the Ardern lady thinks she knows more than the creator.

 Headline in 20 years time. New Zealand to re-introduce rats after horrendous crop failures!

 

For millions of years New Zealand's ecosystem got along fine without any mammals except bats. Thanks to the relatively recent arrival of humans rats have already made extinct creatures native to New Zealand and are on the way to doing the same for others including this one:

Rat Extermination for Kiwi Conservation: Protecting New Zealand’s Flightless National Bird

The kiwi bird, with its flightlessness and ground-dwelling nature, is highly vulnerable to predation by rats. Rats not only directly attack kiwi chicks and eggs but also impact their habitat by preying on insects and plants. As a result, rat extermination has become a critical aspect of kiwi conservation.

https://www.globalvillagespace.com/rat-extermination-for-kiwi-conservation-protecting-new-zealands-flightless-national-bird

Edited June 30, 2023 by placeholder