The already endangered Tristan albatross and other seabird species are under threat from a particular breed of mice in Gough Island in the South Atlantic ocean, The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds warned Monday.Other species endangered by the mice include the Gough bunting and Atlantic petrel, the RSPB said.
Super-sized mice are killing millions of seabird chicks on a remote island in the South Atlantic, threatening some rare species with extinction. According to a study from the RSPB, the mice have learned to eat the eggs and chicks of the many millions of birds that make Gough Island their home.
Speaking ahead of “Our Ocean” conference in Washington DC, Foreign Office Minister Sir Alan Duncan announced plans to double the area of ocean under marine protection around the UK Overseas Territories to around four million square kilometers, greater than the landmass of India.
Scientists have developed a way to identify island habitats that face the greatest threat from invasive pests, such as rats and feral cats. Working on experience collected in a brown rat extermination program in South Georgia, a team of research developed a priority list of islands that they hoped would help governments and conservationists to allocate resources.