In what is the largest rat eradication projection ever undertaken , researchers have confirmed that the remote sub - south-polar island ofSouth Georgia is officially rodent liberal .
As with many removed islands , the rats and mice are think to have arrived on South Georgia around 250 eld ago as stowaway on Navy SEAL and whaling ships . Having experience in excellent closing off this intact clock time , the seabirds already there were completely unprepared for the rodent invasion . With many species of birds nesting on the ground or in tunnel , the eggs and doll were fodder to the stinker .
This has jeopardise many of the 30 million birds nesting , with some 81 coinage found on South Georgia , including four species of threatened penguin . Of most headache , however , are the futures of two endemic birds – mean they are found nowhere else on Earth . Both the island ’s only native songster , the South Georgia pipit , and the South Georgia pin-tailed duck have been hale off the mainland and are hanging on by surviving on tiny offshore islands .
The island is around 160 kilometers ( 100 miles ) long , with an area of 865,000 acres ( 350,000 hectare ) , and is frequently frosted over with deoxyephedrine and C. P. Snow . Two main mountain ranges go down the island , with over a hundred glacier fill their valleys .
Along the outskirt a tuft grassland clings on , making the perfect rest home for many different seabird , including huge mollymawk , burrowing petrels , and gentoo and macaroni penguins .
On the beaches , magnate penguin launch the gauntlet of over half the cosmos ’s population of elephant cachet , while roughly 97 percent of all fur seals prefer South Georgia as a glasshouse for their new .
To try and protect this vitally important breeding ground for the South Atlantic ’s wildlife , the UK - basedSouth Georgia Heritage Trustteamed up with the US - based Friends of South Georgia Island to raise £ 10 million to try and rid the island of the pesky rodents .
After starting the project in 2008 , with phase one take up in 2011 , the squad has finally been able to announce that they have deliver the goods in eradicating all puke and mice from the island , in the great project of its kind .
The incredible accomplishment has taken years of researchers work in the outback and incredibly intriguing sub - Antarctic environs . Helicopters traversed the island spend poisonous substance baits in three disjoined phases , with the last being carried out in 2016 . Since then , no rats have been spotted , and to make certain , a squad of two humans and three dog were sent into bivalent stop .
After walking 1,608 klick ( 1,000 mi ) across the broken and difficult terrain , climbing the tantamount ascending of Mount Everest eight times over , they can confirm that there is not a single rodent is leave on South Georgia .
Already , the hiss are rebounding , and there is majuscule optimism that the wildlife will speedily regain and recolonize the island .
