A plan from the 1990s to remove all feral cats from Macquarie Island in the land down under hasn’t exactly gone as planned. The absence of the cats, meant to save the island’s bird population, only made room for a pesky animal that’s bothered Australians since the 18th century: the rabbit.
That vicious mammal was brought over by European settlers…and quickly multiplied until Australians put up a rabbit-proof fence in the middle of the country to protect crops and native species. And now it’s back in full force, as the rabbit’s booming population on the island has already caused 24 million Australian dollar in damage since the removal of the cats that were keeping its numbers in check.
Macquarie Island was made a World Heritage site in 1997, and since then Aussies have tried to design schemes to cut down on the non-native species on the island: cats, rabbits and mice. The AP reports that animals were probably introduced by passing ships.
This isn’t the first plan to remove the cats. In 1995 a similar approach was used, and environmental groups complained that the Parks and Wildlife Service of Tasmania should have removed all invasive mammals. They probably should have listened then, because while the cats aren’t threatening the sea birds anymore, the rabbit population has only been wreaking havoc.
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But no worries, mate. In 2010, the Parks will start a new program with new poisons and technology, the AP reports, to get rid of those rabbits, rats and mice that are threatening the island’s ecosystem.
Photo Credit: Amanda Peterka
