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https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-00176-z
A conservation group is using drones to eradicate invasive rats by dropping poison on two small islands in Ecuador’s Galápagos archipelago — the first time such an approach has been used on vertebrates in the wild. The operation, which began on 12 January on North Seymour island in the Galápagos National Park, aims to protect native animals and plants from the destructive rodents.
Rats and other non-native species have caused extensive damage to the Galápagos, whose unique flora and fauna evolved in isolation for millions of years. In the process, native species lost many defence mechanisms against predators. Rats, which reproduce quickly and eat a wide variety of plants and animals, have been a target of eradication campaigns across the Galápagos.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Saturday January 26 2019, @11:06PM
Until the next pregnant female jumps off a cargo ship or plane... rinse, lather, repeat.
The predator approach is more or less doomed to failure at eradication, predators just keep a population in check. To truly tame the rat problem, something needs to compete for its resources - unfortunately, whatever can out-compete rats for rat resources is likely more of a problem than the rats...
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