Searched for
RAT ISLAND
In the 1700s, a shipwreck brought hundreds of rats to an Alaskan island. 11 years after scientists removed them in 2008, seabirds returned and the ecosystem was recoveredAlaska's Hawadax Island, once known as Rat Island, is witnessing a remarkable ecological recovery after scientists eradicated invasive rats...- In 2002, crews removed rats from California’s Anacapa Island; 10 years later, rare seabirds were returning and the island’s ecosystem was recoveringAnacapa Island shows significant seabird recovery ten years after rat removal. Ashy storm-petrels now nest there, and Cassin's auklets have...
- In the 1940s, a few snakes arrived in Guam hidden in military cargo; decades later, nine of the island’s 11 native forest bird species were goneGovernment bodies are collaborating with local citizen scientists in a proactive approach towards snake removal on Guam. This program's aim...
- In 2001, Bear Grylls bought a Welsh island for £95,000 and spent years rebuilding its wrecked cottages; more than 20 years later, the home still runs on wind, solar and collected waterBear Grylls purchased an island off the Welsh coast for a modest sum. He transformed a derelict lighthouse and cottages into a functional f...
- First detected in the 1950s, an invasive snake has multiplied to more than 2 million on a US territory, wiping out native birds and surprisingly causing another species to boom to levels 40 times higher than on surrounding areasThe brown treesnake invasion in Guam has wreaked havoc on local ecosystems, decimating native bird populations and leading to a surge in sp...
- In 1960, Marlon Brando discovered Tetiaroa while filming 'Mutiny on the Bounty'. 66 years later, his 35-villa refuge now combines luxury with conservation and clean energyMore than 66 years after Marlon Brando first discovered Tetiaroa, the island's most enduring legacy may be the idea that paradise is someth...
- In 1972, English photographer bought a remote island in south Atlantic Ocean with rats. Today, 2 million seabird pairs and 5 penguin species call it homeIn 1972, English naturalist and photographer Ian Strange bought New Island in the Falklands with Roddy Napier, finding it overgrazed and af...
- In 1966, Marlon Brando bought a remote Pacific atoll after filming ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’; today, its protected beaches are a major nesting site where 15,614 green turtle hatchlings were recorded in one seasonMarlon Brando bought a Polynesian atoll named Tetiaroa after discovering it while filming Mutiny on the Bounty. More than five decades late...
- In 1955, Hawaiʻi released a predatory snail to control giant African snails; it climbed into native forests and helped wipe out rare tree snailsIn Hawaii, the introduction of the rosy wolfsnail was intended to combat a pest, but it drastically backfired. Instead of targeting its int...
- The bird on the Seychelles’ 25-rupee note once had only 12 survivors on one island; after another decline, conservationists helped rebuild it to around 280 across five islandsThe Seychelles magpie-robin was on the brink of extinction, with a mere twelve individuals left. In 1990, a concerted conservation effort k...
- In 1981, only 5 black robins remained. Check how scientists used other species to save them from extinctionIn 1981-82, the Chatham Island black robin faced dire straits, with just five birds remaining. To combat this decline, wildlife officials i...
- In 1962, a conservationist moved to a near-barren Bermuda island without electricity or a phone; 47 years later, its first cahow chick in 300 years fledgedA young conservationist moved to Nonsuch Island in 1962 to restore its lost forest. David Wingate planted over 10,000 native seedlings to r...
- In 1872, a Jamaican planter imported nine mongooses to kill rats in his sugarcane fields; the predators then turned on native birds and reptilesJamaican planters introduced mongooses to combat rat infestations destroying sugarcane harvests. These predators, however, did not stop at ...
- Britain dropped more than 300 tons of poison across South Georgia to kill every rat; by 2018, over 100,000 hectares were rodent-freeSouth Georgia island successfully removed its rat population after a massive eradication effort. Helicopters dropped poisoned bait across t...
- In 1962, a former newspaper editor bought a barren Seychelles island for $11,000; over the next 46 years, he planted 16,000 trees by hand and turned it into the world's smallest national parkBrendon Grimshaw bought Moyenne Island in 1962 and spent decades transforming it. He and René Antoine Lafortune planted sixteen thousand tr...
- Not Shark or Seal: Penguin's biggest predator on this island is a 20-gram animal and South Africa is now planning a 550-tonne poison solutionSouth Africa is preparing a large-scale operation to eliminate mice on Marion Island. Helicopters will drop 550 tons of poison bait across ...
- In 1918, rats escaped from a shipwreck onto a remote island, and more than a century later, scientists discovered an unexpected consequenceA major rodent eradication on Lord Howe Island has revealed a surprising recovery of its insect life. For over a century, rats and mice dev...
- Who Really Destroyed Easter Island’s Forests? The Rats’ Hidden Role ExplainedEaster Island's iconic statues hide a forgotten environmental tale. New research reveals Polynesian rats, introduced around 1200 CE, decima...
- Catch up with south Pacific rat-catchersI found the rat-catchers on deck, sun-tanned and staring out across the waves, trying to spot seabirds and looking for whales. In the dista...
- Extermination drive against rats shows up some human failingsThe reason given for eliminating certain creatures from ecologically fragile islands is that they overrun and ruin their adopted habitats.
Load More
