Abstract
We show the results of an eradication campaign against Rattus rattus developed in Rey Francisco Island (12 ha), Chafarinas islands, southwestern Mediterranean. Rat population size was estimated by snap trapping in up to 93.47 ind./ha and a trapping index of 9.58 captures/100 traps-night. We think that population was underestimated because of the number of traps found strung but without capture. Several products were tested in order to define the method of eradication. In 1992, we selected a second generation anticoagulant, pelleted brodifacoum 50 ppm into 5 l plastic containers as baiting stations. Bait consumption reached zero after three pulses, and intensive searching of tracks and signals were unsuccessful. After more than two years of absence of signals and sightings, in 1995, rat scats were observed in Rey Francisco, and the population rose dizzily. After several snap-trapping sessions in 1996, 1997 and 1999, when trapping success reached 37 captures/100 trap-nights, a new campaign started in autumn winter 1999 2000 using flocoumafen 50 ppm inside 180 baiting stations. Eradication occurred with a very low risk for non-target fauna, setting less than 1 kg/ha of bait each time. Monitoring, both with snap traps and baiting at a lower intensity assures the absence of reinvasion.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Ahmed MS and Fiedler LA (2002) A comparison of four rodent control methods in Philippine experimental rice fields. International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation 49: 125–132
Atkinson IAE (1985) The spread of commensal species of Rattus to oceanic islands and their effects on island avifaunas. In: Moors PJ (ed) Conservation of Island Birds. ICBP Technical Publication 3, pp 35–81. ICPB, Cambridge, UK
Collar NJ, Crosby MJ and Stattersfield AJ (1994) Birds to Watch 2. The World List of Threatened Birds. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK
Coulter MC, Cruz F and Cruz J (1985) A programme to save the dark-rumped petrel, Pterodroma phaeppygia, on Floreana Island, Galapagos, Ecuador. In: Moors PJ (ed) Conservation of Island Birds. ICBP Technical Publication 3, pp 177–180. ICPB Cambridge, UK
Courchamp F, Chapuis JL and Pascal M (In press) Mammals invaders on islands: impact, control and control impact. Biological Reviews
Courchamp F, Langlais M and Sugihara G (1999) Cats protecting birds: modelling the mesopredator release effect. Journal of Animal Ecology 68: 282 292
Dubock AC (1984) Pulsed baiting: a new technique for high potency slow acting rodenticides. Proceedings of the Conference on Organisation and Practice of Vertebrate Pest Control 10: 123–136
Fritts TH (1998) The role of introduced species in the degradation of island ecosystems: a case study of Guam. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 9: 113–140
García MA, Díez CE and Alvarez AO (2002) The eradication of Rattus rattus from Monito Island, West Indies. In: Veitch CR and Clout MN (eds) Turning the Tide: the Eradication of Invasive Species, pp 116–119. IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland/Cambridge, UK
Greaves JH and Rennison BD (1973) Populations aspects of warfarin resistance in the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus. Mammal Review 3: 27–39
Greaves JH, Redfern R, Ayres PB and Gill JE (1987) Warfa-rin resistance: a balanced polymorphism in the Norway rat. Genetical Research 30: 257–263
Hadler MR and Shadbolt RS (1975) Novel 4-hydroxycoumarin anticoagulants active against resistant rats. Nature 253: 275–277
Hooker S and Innes J (1995) Ranging behaviour of forestdwelling ship rats, Rattus rattus, and effects of poisoning with brodifacoum. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 22: 291–304
Houston DM (2002) Eradicating rats from Maninita Island, Vaváu, Kingdom of Tonga August 2002. New Zealand Agency for International Development, Tonga Visitors Bureau, Ministry of Land, Survey and Natural Resources, Department of Environment, Kingdom of Tonga
Kaukeinen DE (1982) A review of the secondary poisoning hazard to wildlife from the use of anticoagulant rodenticides. Proceeding of a Vertebrate. Pest Conference 10: 151–158
King WB (1985). Island birds: will the future repeat the past? In: Moors PJ (ed) Conservation of Island Birds. ICBP Technical Publication 3, pp 3–15. ICPB, Cambridge, UK
Martin JL, Thibault JC and Bretagnolle V (2000) Black rats, island characteristics and colonial nesting birds in the Mediterranean: consequences of an ancient introduction. Conservation Biology 14(5): 1452–1466
Masseti M (2002) The non-flying terrestrial mammals of the Mediterranean islands: an example of the role of the biological invasion of alien species in the homogenisation of biodiversity. In: Proceedings of the Workshop on Invasive Alien Species on European Islands and Evolutionary Isolated Ecosystems, Horta Açores, 10–12 October 2002, pp 13–15. Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France
Meehan AP (1984) Rats and Mice. Their Biology and Control. Rentokil Ltd, East Grinstead, UK, 383 pp
Menezes D and Oliveira P (2002) Control of introduced predators and herbivores to protect critical species: the case study of the Freira da Madeira. In: Proceedings of the Workshop on Invasive Alien Species on European Islands and Evolutionary Isolated Ecosystems, Horta Açores, 10–12 October 2002, pp 18–19. Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France
Merson MH, Ryers RE and Kaukeinen DE (1984) Residues of the rodenticide brodifacoum in voles and raptors after orchard treatment. Journal of Wildlife Management 48(1): 212–216
Merton D, Climo G, Laboudallon V, Robert S and Mander C (2002) Alien mammal eradication and quarantine on inhabited islands in the Seychelles. In: Veitch CR and Clout MN (eds) Turning the Tide: the Eradication of Invasive Species, pp 182–198. IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland/Cambridge, UK
Micol T and Jouventin P (2002) Eradication of rats and rabbits from Saint-Paul Island, French Southern Territories. In: Veitch CR and Clout MN (eds) Turning the Tide: the Eradication of Invasive Species, pp 199–205. IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland/Cambridge, UK
Moors PJ (1985) Eradication campaigns against Rattus norvegicus on the Noises Islands, New Zealand, using brodifacoum and 1080. In: Moors PJ (ed) Conservation of Island Birds. ICBP Technical Publication 3, pp 143–155. ICBP, Cambridge, UK
Moors PJ and Atkinson AE (1984) Predation on seabirds by introduced animals, and factors a ecting its severity. ICBP Technical publication 2, pp 667–690. ICPB, Cambridge, UK
Orueta JF and Aranda Y (2001) Methods to control and eradicate non native terrestrial vertebrates species. Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention), Council of Europe Publishing. Nature and Environment Series 118. Strasbourg, France
Orueta JF, Igual M, Gómez T, Tapia GG and Mármol LS (2002) Rat predation on seabirds and control measures in Chafarinas Islands. Workshop on Invasive Alien Species on European Islands and Evolutionary Isolated Ecosystems. Horta, Açores, 10–12 October 2002, pp 17–18. Document T-PVS/IAS (2002) Council of Europe, Strasbourg, France
Pierce RJ (2002) Pacific rats: their impacts on two small seabird species in the Hen and Chickens Islands, New Zealand. In: Veitch CR and Clout MN (eds) Turning the Tide: the Eradication of Invasive Species, p 411. IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland/Cambridge, UK
Shanker (2000) Small mammal trapping in tropical montane forests of the Upper Nilgiris, southern India: an evaluation of capture-recapture models in estimating abundance. Journal of Biosciences 25(1): 99–111
Veitch CR (2002a) Eradication of Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) and house mouse (Mus musculus) from Browns Island (Motukorea), Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand. In: Veitch CR and Clout MN (eds) Turning the Tide: the Eradication of Invasive Species, pp 350–352. IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland/Cambridge, UK
Veitch CR (2002b) Eradication of Pacific rats (Rattus exulans) from Fanl Island, New Zealand. In: Veitch CR and Clout MN (eds) Turning the Tide: the Eradication of Invasive Species, pp 357–359. IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland/Cambridge, UK
Watling D (2002) Baseline Survey of Maninita Island, Vaváu, Kingdom of Tonga. Environment Consultants, Fiji
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2005 Springer
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Orueta, J.F., Aranda, Y., Gómez, T., Tapia, G.G., Sanchez-Mármol, L. (2005). Successful eradication of invasive rodents from a small island through pulsed baiting inside covered stations. In: Issues in Bioinvasion Science. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3870-4_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-3870-4_14
Received:
Accepted:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-2902-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-3870-9
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)