Mass mousehunt launched to stop rodents devouring albatross chicks

By 2015, scientists knew from camera trap evidence that mice were attacking albatross chicks on Marion Island, but no one had ever witnessed it firsthand on the small volcanic outcrop off the coast of South Africa.

- Nick Dall

So when researchers Stefan and Janine Schoombie came across a badly wounded chick from the species Diomedea exulans, or wandering albatross, in a relatively accessible part of the island, they resolved to return at night.

After hiking for 30 minutes in the dark, Stefan started quietly setting up his camera equipment behind a rock. "We were expecting to have to stalk, but the mice were climbing all over us," he said.

It did not take long for the mice to start feeding on the albatross chick. "The bird was a complete fluff ball," said Janine. "So they just climbed up its back and started nibbling at its head. We could see their teeth going into its flesh."

The bird, too young to walk let alone fly, could only shake its head in irritation. "As scientists, our job is to not intervene," said Stefan. "But we really wanted to help that bird."

The next morning, they returned to find the chick had been joined by one of its parents - but the adult bird could also do nothing. "It was such a hopeless situation," said Janine. A few days later, the chick died of its injuries and was eaten by giant petrel birds.

Now, however, help is at hand for the seabirds of Marion Island, about 1,180 miles (1,900km) south-east of Cape Town. Next month, scientists from the Mouse-Free Marion project (MFM) a partnership between the conservation group BirdLife South Africa and the South African government will be taking a crucial step towards eradicating the mice from the island by spreading toxic bait across a relatively small section.