Rats are known to have a good set of abilities in travelling, multiplying and spreading diseases which is the reason they are the greatest pests. New Zealand plans to eradicate rats. Every last one of them.
On Monday, the Prime Minister, John Key announced the ambitious plan of completely eradicating the rats and other nuisance vermin such as possums and stoats. The main goal was to zero the rat population by the year 2050.
The government believes that a rat-free countryside will boost the population of notice birds which includes the iconic kiwi. There are lots of bird species that are threatened with extinction because pests like rats feast on their eggs and compete with the birds for food, Indian Express reported.
New Zealand is hoping to be successful in eradicating the pests from several of its smaller islands which will build the project's success.
Scientists, however, warns about the goal. Scientists said that the goal is extremely difficult to achieve especially because New Zealand is a large country, it almost as large as the United Kingdom.
John Key announced from a wildlife sanctuary in Wellington and said that in order to achieve the goal, everyone's help is required. This spans from the philanthropists to the indigenous tribes of Maori. Furthermore, he added that this project is the most ambitious one attempted anywhere in the world, Belleville news Democrat reported.
Initially, the New Zealand government would contribute 28 million New Zealand dollars which is about 20 million US dollars. This will be used for setting up a company that would run the said program.
Furthermore, Key acknowledged the use of scientific advances on the project. New Zealand's Department of Conservation has wiped out rat population from several of its islands using traps, poison, and baits.
New Zealand is an unusual country because its native animals are mainly birds. Over time, some birds become flightless and when humans brought in rats, the rodents had shifted the balance.
