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Rats Infest Sydney Triggering Plans to Eradicate Them

posted by martyb on Thursday July 25 2019, @04:15PM   Printer-friendly
from the not-all-imports-are-good dept.

An Anonymous Coward writes:

A combination of an increase in construction and chilly weather has increased the amount of vermin in and around Sydney, Australia. There's no use trying to ask them nicely to leave, they are here to stay. Now the council is stepping up to deal with the problem head on by doubling down on control measures and engaging residents and businesses to help push down the infesting population. This problem is not new with Sydney dealing with this type of problem year in year out. Businesses are advised to take care how they dispose of food and residents should take precautions to ensure unwanted pests don't bed down with them in hidden places.

Good advice.

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Thursday July 25 2019, @08:16PM

    by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Thursday July 25 2019, @08:16PM (#871237)

    New Zealand spends an awful lot of time and effort on eradicating mammalian pests from islands, as there were no native land mammals until people brought them here starting about 800 years ago.

    Birds and insects evolved to take the ecological niches that mammals take in other places but can't compete with fast breeding mammals, especially mice and rats.

    I have read that something like 90% of kiwi chicks don't survive their first year in the presence of rats and possums in particular, but if they do they are big enough to defend themselves.

    There are videos on Youtube of kiwis kicking the crap out of possums that enter their burrows, which is a sight to gladden the heart.

    This Island is an example of an eradication programme [wikipedia.org] although it is not entirely accurate. I knew an old fellow who volunteered to help in the 1970's and he told me there were so many cats that they shot dozens the first summer they went over.

    I hope these buggers are doing alright now, [wikipedia.org] as they're amazing. Mouse sized crickets.

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