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When conservation and animal rights collide

10,000 Birds

I’ve written at length about the specific vulnerability of insular faunas and the catastrophic extinctions caused by the arrival of rats, mice, ferrets, cats and possums (amongst others), here in New Zealand fully half the pre-human bird species were lost.

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Can Stewart Island become Pest Free?

10,000 Birds

Getting rid of rabbits and goats was something that had been done for many years, but it was generally thought that rats and cats would be impossible to remove from all but the smallest islands. Hit the rats hard and quick in a single hit. New Zealand faces massive challenges in protecting its species. Insanely ambitious?