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Wednesday, October 24th 2012 - 05:38 UTC

South Georgia government in Norway for reindeer eradication project and krill fishery

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1 malen (#) Oct 24th, 2012 - 10:16 am Report abuse

As i understand the reindeer, a phauna species introduced by Norway in the isles of south america, it was not typical phauna of the region, has increased so much, that now they need to erradicate it.
So it seems to me ,this scientists have prooved well they have no idea of phauna, biodiversity and the region, that they do europeans stupidities, like the reindeer, afecting all our biodiversity of our south atlantic, not knowing our diversity of our continent, and the propagation of species, that is very connected, and everything you do affects the southatlantic. Also some guanacos also introduced alone some time ago, were exterminated because it increased so much and were inbreed.
So you are doing nonsense, scientific nonsense in the south atlantic. That cant be respected. And thanks to show this example. Sure you are going to kill the reindeers. Killing phauna you put there, according to your point of view or the point of view of your scientists. Pathetic. This shows you dont respect the biodiversity.

2 Clyde15 (#) Oct 24th, 2012 - 10:41 am Report abuse

#2
I am sure you will correct me if I am wrong, but were cattle indigenous to Argentina ? How about soya beans or wheat ?

From your post above, I presume you approve the removal of ALL non native animal and plant species from your country and return it to its state before your Conquistadors arrived and destroyed the native Flora and Fauna.

3 Boovis (#) Oct 24th, 2012 - 10:43 am Report abuse

@2: nope, for Argentinians trying to prove a xenophobic point, the Great Columbian Migration was something that happened to other people.

4 Idlehands (#) Oct 24th, 2012 - 10:50 am Report abuse

1 malen

That post makes no sense whatsoever. Are you saying the deer should be removed or they shouldn't?

5 Conqueror (#) Oct 24th, 2012 - 01:04 pm Report abuse

@1 Just for a start, the word is “fauna”. So let's consider the worth of a comment from someone who can't even spell. A “person” would probably have referred to “animals”. Or used a dictionary. Moving on, we should avoid the use of the word “cattle”. It has no real connection with the actual animals. “Bovines” would be more appropriate. It is reckoned that “bovines” are descended from about 80 progenitors domesticated in southeast Turkey around 10,500 years ago. Based on that, virtually every bovine in the world has been introduced from somewhere else. In order to return “bio-diversity” to the original state, or as close as possible, every “bovine” on every continent, except Europe and Asia, needs to be eradicated. It's not unreasonable that “bovines” could have spread naturally to Europe and Asia. However “bovines” have to have been introduced by humans into Australia and New Zealand. Africa and North and South America. Regarding Africa, non-human induced introduction would have been limited due to the climate and the incidence of predators. There goes the South American beef industry. The same considerations would apply to sheep. By contrast, there are indigenous representatives of deer everywhere except Australia.

6 JohnN (#) Oct 24th, 2012 - 01:08 pm Report abuse

News from Norway suggests that some Norwegians are quite interested in the links between their own history, the Falklands - and the reindeer/whaling in South Georgia.

For example, the article “Falklandsøyenes ukjente «nordmenn»” reviews the family history of a Bernsten (originally Berntsen) and also noted other Norwegian-like names in phone book :
www.nrk.no/nyheter/verden/1.7986192

- “Norske reindriftssamer reiser 1500 mil for å slakte rein” indicates that many Norwegians are applying to go hunting reindeer in South Georgia in January, but only experts should apply:
www.nrk.no/nyheter/distrikt/troms_og_finnmark/1.8223254

Photos of South Georgia reindeer at: «Norske» reinsdyr på Sør-Georgia til slakt”:
www.nrk.no/kanal/nrk_sapmi/1.8281357

Skal fjerne reinsdyrene på Sør-Georgia states that Norway has a responsibility to help remove the ecological impairment caused by reindeer:
www.naturoppsyn.no/content/500045246/Skal-fjerne-reinsdyrene-pa-Sor-Georgia

7 womble (#) Oct 24th, 2012 - 01:22 pm Report abuse

malen (1) has a point. But it wasn't the scientists who introduced the reindeer 100 years ago - it was the whalers. Hardly a group of people who would put biodiversity or species conservation high on their priority list.

Yes, former generations made mistakes. But now, in the light of better understanding, those mistakes are being rectified.

If only more mistakes made in the past could be changed for the better.

8 Idlehands (#) Oct 24th, 2012 - 02:17 pm Report abuse

I don't think a couple of thousand deer will be too difficult to eradicate. It's when they get on to sorting out the millions of rats that it will become interesting. They're going to carpet bomb the entire island with hundreds of tonnes of rat poison. The Kiwis have 'mastered' the technique but on a smaller scale.

9 Clyde15 (#) Oct 24th, 2012 - 10:13 pm Report abuse

#8
It can work but will take time. A similar scheme was used on the island of Ailsa Craig, in the Firth of Clyde about 15 years ago.
The RN helicopter Squadron, based locally,assisted by air lifting tons of poisoned bait. Eventually, the rats were wiped out and Puffins re appeared on the island after being absent for decades, and now stand at about 100 pairs. The island is monitored yearly to ensure no rats have returned.
Their population is now increasing rapidly.
I would imagine a problem in South Georgia is rats brought in by visiting ships.

10 Islander1 (#) Oct 25th, 2012 - 01:13 am Report abuse

Malen, you are indeed an arse! The reindeer are restricted-always have been - to a few small parts of the island - by Glaciers. With global warming these are now in retreat - so if the reindeer are not removed very soon - they will move all over the island and that (not now) is when the native flora would suffer big time! It is a mtrajic plan - but a neccesary one.
Rats - already 2 years into an eradication problem using helcopters dropping bait, now based permanetly there - same reason - if they are not removed - they to will start to move all over the Island - and simply destroy a lot of ground nesting bird species - like albatrosses for a start.

11 Clyde15 (#) Oct 25th, 2012 - 08:48 am Report abuse

#9
Should read -Puffin population is increasing rapidly.

12 womble (#) Oct 25th, 2012 - 10:53 am Report abuse

What's to stop other birds or animals eating the poison, or indeed, the dead rats? In that climate they won't deteriorate quickly, so might be around for years with their legs pointing at the sky.

13 malen (#) Oct 25th, 2012 - 11:27 am Report abuse

You cant kill the reindeer, beautiful animals.

14 Clyde15 (#) Oct 25th, 2012 - 11:52 am Report abuse

#13
They are food for the Inuit and Sami peoples. If you are a carnivore then you eat meat. Jersey cows look pretty but are still eaten.

15 British_Kirchnerist (#) Oct 30th, 2012 - 02:08 pm Report abuse

And is there any permanent human inhabitation of these Islands? If not, they should be part of the closest inhabited sovereign state, Argentina...

#13 I tend to agree, especially if theres just a couple of thousand of them to round up, and they're a bit bigger and easier to spot than rats!

16 Clyde15 (#) Oct 30th, 2012 - 04:59 pm Report abuse

#15
Hang around and watch the Falklands !

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