Ecuador drops 20 tons of poison on Galapagos Islands to wipe out rats and save unique native species that inspired Darwin
Ecuador is dropping more than 20 tons of rat poison on the Galapagos Islands in a bid to kill millions of rodents which, the government claims, are threatening the bird and reptile species that make the islands unique.
A helicopter will begin dropping nearly 22 tons of specially designed poison bait today, as the government tries to wipe out the non-native rodents by 2020.
The Pacific archipelago helped inspire Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.
The invasive Norway and black rats, left, were introduced to the Galapagos Islands, right, by whalers and buccaneers who began visiting the islands in the 17th century
A helicopter will begin dropping nearly 22 tons of specially designed poison bait on the islands today, as part of a campaign to clear out non-native rodents by 2020
The rodents feed on the eggs and hatchlings of the islands’ native species, which include giant tortoises, lava lizards, snakes, hawks and iguanas. Rats also have depleted the number of plants on which native species feed.
The rats have critically endangered bird species on the 19-island cluster, 600 miles from Ecuador’s coast.
'It’s one of the worst problems the Galapagos have. [Rats] reproduce every three months and eat everything,' said Juan Carlos Gonzalez, a Nature Conservancy specialist.
The archipelago inspired Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, and the islands are home to many unique species, like these Galapagos sea lions
The rats have been feeding on the eggs and hatchlings of the native species like giant tortoises, pictured, and lava lizards, snakes, hawks and iguanas
The $1.8m project will be funded by conservation groups and the Galapagos National Park Service.
'This is a very expensive but totally necessary war,' said Mr Gonzalez.
Charles Darwin visited the islands during his voyage around the world on the HMS Beagle in the 1830s
Charles Darwin visited the island chain during his voyage around the world on the HMS Beagle in the 1830s.
Darwin studied the archipelago's native species and noted that there were subtle differences between the varieties of tortoises and mockingbirds on each of the separate islands.
His findings later inspired him to develop his theory of evolution.
The Ecuadorian government now plans to save these unique species by killing off all non-native rodents, beginning with the Galapagos’ smaller islands, without endangering other wildlife.
The islands where humans reside, Isabela and Santa Cruz, will come last.
Hawks and iguanas on some islands have already been captured and temporarily moved to prevent them eating the poisoned rodents.
The director of conservation for the Galapagos National Park Service, Danny Rueda, said the poison had been specially engineered with a strong anti-coagulant to make the rats dry up and disintegrate in less than eight days, without a stench.
Previous efforts to eradicate invasive species mean goats, cats, burros and pigs have all been removed from various islands.
The government's goal is to kill off all non-native rodents, beginning on the Galapagos' smaller islands, without endangering other wildlife
The director of conservation for the Galapagos National Park Service, Danny Rueda, said the poison had been specially engineered with a strong anti-coagulant to make the rats dry up and disintegrate in less than eight days without a stench
The $1.8m project will be funded by conservation groups and the Galapagos National Park Service. Here, park staff are shown testing equipment that will hold the poisonous bait