Hi Michael -
You said:
>The successful Campbell Island omlette certainly
> justified breaking a few eggs, as it were. I guess that every island would
> need individual consideration prior to using a brodifacoum saturation
> policy, but doubtless any kind of eradication policy would have some
> collateral damage, and some people would complain no matter what, eg that
it
> was cruelty to rats.
I have to agree with you. The success of the New Zealanders in ridding
islands of introduced rodents is well known, and they are far ahead of
Australia in this aspect of conservation management. The great thing about
the Campbell Island achievement is the size of the island - larger by far
than any other where rodents have successfully eradicated, as far as I know,
and an obvious stimulus to do the same on Macquarie and the Auckland
Islands. I realise that Australia's continental islands with native
terrestrial mammals and reptiles pose a more complicated problem, but there
are solutions - such as establishing temporary captive breeding populations
of animals at risk.
Collateral damage to other species can be lessened by using, for example,
bait-stations (which exclude animals larger than the target rodents) rather
than simply dropping baits by air. This would certainly be more expensive
on uninhabited islands such as Campbell, but might be more cost-effective on
inhabited islands - if the program had the whole-hearted support of the
local populations and access to volunteer participation. Obvious cases for
this treatment would be Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands (where, I think, some
rat baiting does occur, though not a systematic islandwide eradication
program).
And yes, some people will object on ideological or sentimental grounds (e.g.
"It's not THEIR fault that they were introduced") but fewer than you would
think with the less charismatic fauna such as rodents. Those passionately
against the culling of brumbies, donkeys and camels may still set
mouse-traps in their barns and pantries.
Cheers,
Hugo
Hugo Phillipps
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