Cats Love Birds
Cats Love Rabbits Too
It seems that some silly eco-dudes messed up again (see BBC article). Macquarie Island, a World Heritage Site containing a fragile eco-system, is a possession of Australia and is located in the Southern seas. Before people came on the scene, life was simple for the birds and plants that populated this island. The birds would fly into and out on their annual migrations. Some of the birds decided to stay. Since they occupied the top of the food chain on the island, they decided that walking was better than flying. So they walked and forgot how to fly. Life was swell for all of the birds. And to help the island, they ate the seeds from plants and walked about pooping them so that new plants would grow where the seed landed. Life was swell, then we arrived.
Most probably the first human visitor was a transient, perhaps a wandering Maori. This hardy soul realized that life for humans would be harsh on this island. After a brief stay, he left and sailed home. Later, whalers and seal hunters came to establish a base from which they could land and rest before they ventured out to capture and process more whales and seals. They brought the first uninvited feral residents, the rat and mouse. Rats and mice know how to make babies. Before long rats and mice were everywhere. They didn't mind the harsh climate. They had plenty of food from plants and delicious treats found in bird's nests, like eggs or baby birds. They loved the place.
Someone got the bright idea to introduce cats to control the rats and the mice. Well, the cats ate the rats and the mice and unfortunately the birds too. Cats also know how to make lots of baby cats. Before long, Macquarie Island had too many cats, rats, mice and fewer birds.
Back in 1878 one of the seal hunters got homesick for rabbit stew so he brought a cage full of rabbits. He ate a few and some of the lucky survivors escaped into the wilds of Macquarie Island. Rabbits really know how to make baby rabbits. It wasn't long before Macquarie Island had too many cats, rats, mice, rabbits and fewer and fewer birds. Also, those rabbits loved to eat the plants. Not some of the plants, but everything that grows. What a mess!
How should we fix this mess? Someone, during the 1960's, suggested to the Australian government that they knew how to get rid of the uninvited guests, those feral critters - cats, rats, mice and rabbits. They proposed a "killer" idea - infect the rabbits with myxomatosis, a rabbit killing disease. It worked! The rabbit population plunged to 10,000. So the cats, hungry for rabbits, supplemented their diet with more birds.
In 2000 a program to eradicate the cats was implemented and it worked. All of the cats were removed leaving behind rabbits, rats, mice and fewer birds. Without the cats, the myxomatosis resistant rabbits thrived. In eight years their population increased tenfold and they were hungry.
This year the rest of the uninvited guests, rabbits, rats and mice, will be eradicated. They will be systematically poisoned. It is hoped that only the rabbits, rats and mice will eat the poison and the birds will not. Also, this phase of the eradication program will cost $24 million AUS. Big bucks in this difficult economic time.
If you do a Google search for "Macquarie Island Rabbits", you will locate many news articles describing the fate of Macquarie Island and it's uninvited feral guests. Most articles suggest that the cat removal was an enormous mistake causing "catastrophic damages". The real mistake will be to not complete the job. If this island is considered to be a world treasure, then restoration to it's pristine state is a necessity, a costly one, but a necessity. If, on the other hand, we really don't think Macquarie Island is worth this costly restoration effort, we should standby and watch this island be "catastrophically damaged" by rabbits, rats and mice.
Enjoy and SAVE MACQUARIE ISLAND!
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