In the sub-Antarctic Indian Ocean, between Antarctica and South Africa, lies a chunk of land in the sea called Marion Island. For untold thousands of years, Marion Island has been a haven for nesting seabirds, including the Sooty Albatross. About 200 years ago, house mice were brought to Marion Island by humans, and the mice have been causing trouble ever since. Now their population has grown to the point where they are actually feeding on the seabirds, not only on the eggs and nestlings but even on the adults, as the birds are not conditioned to deal with the little rodents.
Fortunately for the birds, a group called Mouse-Free Marion will try to wipe out the mice. Good luck to them – no matter how hard humans try to eliminate mice, the little critters always seem to squeak by.
The whiskered rodents were accidentally introduced to Marion Island 200 years ago and are breeding…
