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Why one full kontri dey wage war against rats?

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Sun, 2 Jul 2023 Source: BBC

New Zealand goment don reveal mission say by 2050 dem wan comot all di rat wey dey di kontri pata-pata.

For 2016, dem carry law wey place rats as some of di worst predators wey dem need end dia existence for di nation before di 2050 date.

Dis na sake of say, rats don dey seen as one of di pests wey dey reduce di number of birds wey dey di region since di pipo wey migrate go dat side carry am follow bodi.

So far di largest island wey don suceed for dia aim to comot all di rats na South Georgia.

One of di joinbodi wey don organise demselves for di fore-front of dis fight na Predator-Free Miramar wey wan protect birds for Miramar for di New Zealand capital of Wellington.

On one bright Sunday Morning like dis, di wildlife lovers pack demselves for dis Miramar, wey be fine peninsula, dem dey go find rat to terminate.

Di voluteers wear dia hi-vis jackets, collect peanut butter wey be ogbonge trap for rodents and come carry poison.

Dem get di place wia each of dem go check coil traps and boxes wey get toxin inside.

Dan Coup wey dey lead di group tell dem say "good luck fellows."

Na one GPS app Coup dey use take enta bush to follow di devices wey im own designated route. Wen e reach one trap, na to replace trap and update di information for im app. None of di traps show say rat don near dia.

As e still dey look for rat poo and oda clues, im see for im Whatsapp group say one of di volunteers don snap foto of dead rat put am for dia WhatsApp group.

Coup sigh, no be beta news be dat even though na dia mission to kill di rats dem.

How e explain am be say "Dave go feel good say im catch am, but we feel bad becos e mean say rat still dey."

Why rat be problem wey New Zealand

Di koko behind dis project get alot to do wit how di ecology of di kontri dey set up.

New Zealand bin don dey comot from one supercontinent 85 million years ago, long before mammals start to dey exist.

So becos dem no get land predators, many birds fit nest for ground and do plenti tins without di need to fly.

And to add to dat one, New Zealand na di last major land wey human beings enta to call dia home.

For di 13th Century, Polynesians carry mice and Pacific rats follow bodi enta di land.

600 years later, Europeans carry larger mammals wey dey use dis defenceless birds as easy food to take chop.

Almost one third of all di native species don die finish since human beings and di region.

Di efforts to take save di oda birds wey still dey no dey new and e don start since di 1960s.

How New Zealand dey run dis extermination mata

For di 1960s, conservationists manage to clear all di rats from one small offshore islands.

But na till about 2010, wen di wahala to take handle dis predators turn social issue.

James Russel wey be biologist for di Auckland University and dey ginger di 2050 project say," e bubble up and turn national totem".

One of di factors wey ginger di boost according to Russell na di introduction of infared cameras.

For di 20th Century, pipo bin dey see deer and goats as di tins wey dey disturb dis birds pass.

But from di 2000s like na im videos start of comot about wetin rats and small rodents dey find for night.

Pictures wey show as rats dey chop eggs and chicks bin go viral. One ecologist dat time even tok say New Zealand dey lose 26 million birds per year to predators.

For 2011 one celebrity physicist, Sir Paul Callaghan bin make di dream of a predator-free kontri to dey popular.

Russell and oda young conservationists say enof money and man power, na dream wey dey achievable.

Politicians come follow chook mouth for di mata. By 2016, wey make di worst predators wey dem wan kill off come into force.

Di predators na three type of rats wey dem dey call Pacific rat, ship rat and Norway rats plus inclding oda animals wey be stoats, weasels, ferrets and possums.

Na di middle of dis century dem put as di deadline for dis project.

Dem come set up one public joinbodi we dem call Predator Free 2050 Ltd, wey go gada goment and private money chook am for local projects to find eradication methods.

Predator Free Welligton dey ambitious wella as na urban areas rats dey thrive pass. Di 36 man group don turn dia volunteers to professional extermination. Dem dey use anticoaguland poison wey beta pass traps.

Dem dey set up cameras for places wey rats dey normally gada and dia oga James Willcox say if rat cross dat side dem go know wia dem go position dia resources.

Dem dey also do autopsy for evri dead rat dem see to find wetin kill dem, dia gender and weda di female don recently born so dem go know weda na one rat dem dey chase or family.

Oda groups from di joinbodi don get dia own style and dey see results.

Miramar wey we tok about before don dey see progress as many native birds like di tui wey dia number reduce to a few pairs don come back.

One of di reason na say dem get predator proof fencing wey dey keep rats away from di birds.

Stewart Island main goal now na to prevent rats to make dia own comeback as dem get some rats but dem no get oda type rodents wey dey attack dia muttonbirds (wey don de finish for mainland).

To protect from dis, dem get detector dog, gadget wey don turn celebrity wit her own Facebook page wey dey check incoming boats for rodents wey follow come di town.

Predator Free Rakiura don get self reloading traps wey no too need maintenance. Na just to break di skull of any rat wey near am and on top di next one.

Last year dem give school pikin traps dem and five prizes to di pikin dem wey catch di most rats, catch di biggest rat, rat wey get di biggest teeth and di hairiest rat.

Di Stewart Island/Rakiura Community & Environmental Trust (Sircet) dey also give training so pipo pet no go attack birds.

For cats dem dey castrate and microchip dem and for dogs, dem get kiwi toys wey dey shock dogs wey bite am, o dogs no go approach di real birds.

Dis Predator free movement fit work?

Di mata of weda di whole 2050 project go fit work na topic of argument for conservationist.

James Lynch wey start Zealandia, wey ecosanctuary for native birds say e no dey practical and e go cost money.

E say, "we no get di tool box for am at dis moment".

Wetin e dey suggest na instead of to clear di whole kontri of pest, wetin go useful na to put di resources for di forests around di fenced areas for di survival of birds wey dey comot di fenced areas.

Conservation researcher Wayne Linlater tink say di mata of predator free New Zealand no make sense on top say ova 150 years di kontri don lose all di wars dem start against rabbits deer and oda pests.

E also say e get ethical wahala becos di movement, "dey rely on making enemy of one species so you go fit kill".

Apart from dat wetin give human beings wey be di most invasive predators and destroyer of habitat di right to do war on creatures wey dem carry come?

Linlater wan make evri community get dia own bio diversity goals.

Auckland residents fit still afford to get rats and Stewart Islanders go de ginger di protection of ia kiwis and muttonbirds.

For biologist James Russell wey give scientific ginger to di 2050 project e say local strategies no make sense.

E say even though eradication dey expensive na sometin you fit do once and and no need to run am again.

Even imself gree say no bodi know how to kill di rats finish but since di 1960s pest control technology don grow well.

For di morality on dis mata, evri one get dia ansa. Russell say New Zealanders don join hand gree say sacrificing some animals to save odas na di right tin to do.

Source: BBC