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Despite poor weather hampering operations the poison-bait drop has commenced on Australia's sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island in an endeavour to rid it of Black Rats, House Mice and European Rabbits (click here for the latest news). 

Aerial baiting has started at Hurd Point, at the southern end of the island.  Earlier, the extreme northern end of the island around the station and on North Head was baited as a trial operation, using all four helicopters, with autopsies of animals subsequently found dead showing signs of poisoning.  It is now thought that the station area is completely free of rats and substantially free of mice, while rabbit numbers are also plummeting, auguring success once bait is dropped over the whole island. 

Click here to access all the recent "This Week at Macquarie" newsletters on the Australian Antarctic Division's web site and follow the fortunes of this eradication exercise.

Click here for an earlier ACAP news story on the eradication efforts and to access the project's newsletters and background documents. 

John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 29 June 2010