World’s largest rodent eradication project a success:
Photographed whilst working on the South Georgia Heritage Trust’s Rat Eradication Project in South Georgia, 7 February 2018. Photo: Oliver Prince
• The UK Overseas Territory of South Georgia is officially declared free of rodents for the first time since humans arrived on the island over 200 years ago
• Scottish-based charity the South Georgia Heritage Trust and its USA counterpart the Friends of South Georgia Island raised £10Million to finance the Habitat Restoration Project to eradicate invasive rodents
• Covering 108,723 hectares (1087 km2), the Habitat Restoration project is more than eight times larger than any other rodent eradication area ever tackled anywhere in the world
• Three rodent detection dogs covered a total of 2420km, with their two female dog handlers walking 1608km, searching for signs of rats and mice as part of a comprehensive monitoring survey
Read full press release here
News Coverage
News Articles:
- The Courier: IN PICTURES: The amazing story of how Dundee charity’s ‘Team Rat’ turned around 200 years of man-made environmental damage on South Georgia
- BBC: Rats driven from South Georgia’s wildlife paradise
- ITV: South Georgia declared free of bird killing invasive rats
- GSGSSI: South Georgia Heritage Trust Declares South Georgia Rodent Free
- The Guardian: South Georgia declared rat free centuries rodent devastation
- The Independent: Rare birds return to remote South Georgia Island after successful rat eradication programme
- The Times: South Georgia’s birds return after rat invaders are killed off
- National Geographic: Large Island Declared Rat-Free in Biggest Removal Success
- NPR: Massive eradication effort ends rodents reign of terror on forbidding isle
- Aspen Daily News: Local woman delves into sub antarctic reclamation
- New Scientist: The birds of South Georgia are finally safe from marauding rats
- Science Mag: Rat begone: Record eradication effort rids sub-Antarctic island of invasive rodents
- The Oldham Times: South Georgia declared free of bird killing invasive rats
- BT: South Georgia declared free of bird killing invasive rats
- Express: Remote island FREED of infestation
- FT: Victory declared in South Georgia rodent eradication (subscription required)
- Daily Mail: South Georgia declared free bird killing invasive rats
- Bird Guides: South Georgia declared rodent free
- Sky: Rats driven off British Island South Georgia in worlds largest rodent cull
- Press and Journal: South Georgia rid rodents after-mammoth project spearheaded by Dundee charity
- Irish Times: Remote island of South Georgia declared rat free after over 200 years
- Portlincoln Times: Local helps rat purge
- Ecowatch: South Georgia rodents
- Newsweek: Atlantic island wins war against rats devoured rare bird colonies
- Mongabay: South Georgia declared rat free in largest ever rodent eradication program
- Mercopress: South Georgia declared rat free four year successful program to eradicate invasive rodents
- ODT: Wanaka pilot helps rid island rodents
- RTE.ie: South Georgia
- Gizmodo: South Georgia Island has finally been certified free of rodents
- Express: Rats remote island
- Heraldscotland: Remote island is rat free after 10m charity project
- Mix96: Rats driven off British island South Georgia in worlds largest rodent cull
- Lavanguardia: La primera isla del mundo que consigue erradicar a las ratas y los ratones
- TG24 Sky It: Antartide Isola Georgia liberata da topi
- Kopalniawiedzy.pl/: Georgia Poludniowa gryzon szczur mysz trucizna gatunek inwazyjny
- NI.nl: Ratten grootste verdelgingsactie ooit verdreven van zuid Atlantisch eiland
- Levif.be: Apres 250 ans de ravages les rats ont ete eradiques de Georgie du Sud
- Jurnalul.ro: Insula Georgia de Sud eliberata de rozatoare pentru prima data in ultimii 200 de ani
TV:
Radio:
Habitat Restoration Steering committee chair Mike Richardson interviews