South Georgia declared free of bird-killing invasive rats

‘Team Rat’ declares the UK overseas territory officially free of rodents after the largest island eradication project ever.

There’s been a boost for seabirds on wildlife-rich South Georgia where rats have been eradicated (George Lemann/PA)

A remote wildlife-rich island has been officially declared free of rats and mice after a £10 million eradication scheme to protect native birds.

The UK overseas territory of South Georgia is free of invasive rodents, which have been arriving as stowaways since Captain Cook discovered the southern Atlantic Ocean island in 1775, for the first time in more than 200 years.

Birds nesting on the ground or in burrows, whose eggs and chicks were preyed on by rats, are already benefiting from world’s largest island rodent eradication scheme, according to the South Georgia Heritage Trust.

Rats on South Georgia preyed on ground-nesting birds (Paula O Sullivan/PA)

The announcement by the Scottish-based charity that the island is rat-free comes at the end of a habitat restoration project the team began planning in 2008, to return the island to its natural state for the benefit of its wildlife.

Since 2011 teams have braved hostile conditions, through rain, snow and extreme winds, to undertake three phases of dropping bait on vegetated areas where rodents are found, which are separated from each other by glaciers.

'Team Rat' had to wrestle with inhospitable conditions and rugged terrain to see if the rat eradication scheme had been successful (Oliver Prince/PA) — Team Rat had to wrestle with inhospitable conditions and rugged terrain (Oliver Prince/PA)

This winter, an expedition team dubbed “Team Rat” surveyed the island to see if the baiting project had been successful.

More than 4,600 detection devices including chewsticks coated with peanut butter, tracking tunnels and camera traps were deployed and checked for signs of rat activity.

Rat detection dog Wai, was one of three used to detect whether there were any rats left on South Georgia (Oli Prince/PA) — Rat detection dog Wai was one of three used to detect whether there were any rats left (Oli Prince/PA)

Professor Mike Richardson, chairman of the project’s steering committee, said: “Over the last six months of work, not a single sign of a rodent has been found in the whole of the area we have baited.

“To the best of our knowledge this island is rodent-free for the first time in two and a half centuries.”

Flocks of South Georgia pintails have been seen since the rats were eradicated (Sarah Lurcock/PA)

There are 33 species of birds nesting on the island, with the eradication benefiting all of them, including species such as diving petrels.

Project director Dickie Hall said: “This is just the start for the island, as South Georgia begins to return to its natural state.”

South Georgia pipits have made a comeback since the rats have been eradicated (Oli Prince/PA) — South Georgia pipits have also made a comeback (Oli Prince/PA)

The South Georgia Heritage Trust and US-based counterpart the Friends of South Georgia Island raised £10 million for the project, securing support from individuals, foundations, businesses and governments, including £885,000 from the UK Government through the Environment Department (Defra) and the Darwin Initiative.