Eradication of entire species is normally illegal in and around the Galápagos Islands, home to the Galápagos National Park and the Galápagos Marine Reserve (administered by the government of Ecuador). Seals, sea lions, dolphins, tortoises, iguanas, and many different kinds of birds are the most visible of the indigenous creatures who live here. The volcanic archipelago was discovered by chance in 1535 as the Bishop of Panamá was on his way to Peru. In the decades thereafter ships of all kinds representing various nations visited the islands, the most famous of which, of course, was HMS Beagle with Charles Darwin aboard.
In addition to human passengers, vermin always accompanied every sailing vessel in the age of tall ships. Brown and black rats disembarked at the Galápagos, especially in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, where they prospered and multiplied. By the twenty-first century, the rodents had clearly become a serious threat to native wildlife, devouring eggs and the vulnerable young of swallow-tailed seagulls and frigate birds. Swallow-tailed seagulls are the only nocturnal seagull species known.
A plan was hatched to eradicate the pests from two hard-hit islands: Seymour Norte and Mosquera. Other islands in the park had been succesfully cleared of rats, but the efforts on these two islands would employ new technology for the first time. The project was put in motion in 2019, in part using drones to distribute poison specially formulated to appeal to rats and only rats. More than half of the land area of the islands were baited with poison by drone. The remaining portions of the islands were baited by hand. After most rodents had been eliminated, the drones were used to refill bait stations on the shores all around the islands to target any vermin that might swim in from other nearby islands.
Last month, June 2021, the islands were declared free of rodents after an extensive search. The eradication has been a complete success, restoring the natural ecological balance of the ecosystem. As a bonus, the use of drones to help get the job done saved money, time, and labor. Other Pacific islands have plans to use the drone system to rid their environments of pests.
The following video cannot be embedded, but you can follow the link, which opens in another window, to watch it. “Ecuador uses drones to help eradicate rats in Galapagos” (1:09).
“Galapagos Islands by drone – AMAZING 4K Ultra HD” (4:36):
Question Of The Night: Choose an island paradise to live on: it can be anywhere.
