Extinction

[scolopax]

The last remaining colony of Black Rats in the UK, on the Shiant Islands, are to be exterminated shortly.

 

They have resided on the islands for over a hundred years, and co existed withe the massive seabird colonies on that island for all that time.

 

Seems a bit sad that they will be gone, they have been a part of our history for over a thousand years.

 

Save the Black rat!!!

[hoggysreels]

Id like to see them preserved in a bottle of formaldehyde !

[Kes]

It is interesting that anyone might want to preserve a breeding population of an animal that has killed more humans (indirectly) than rabbits or pigeons. If you had to pick a species to face extinctions rats, and these in particular, would be very near the top of everyone's list I suspect.

Edited June 16, 2014 by Kes

[scolopax]

Ach, your prejudiced............

£900,000 to get rid of the last few anywhere in the UK, not doing no harm to anyone......

Edited June 17, 2014 by scolopax

[FalconFN]

It's interesting that the Black rat has been in the UK since Roman times but the brown rat only got here in the 18th century. If it wasn't for the plague I'd prefer blacks to browns any day.

[rimfire4969]

The Islands are roughly 350 acres. They say its costing £900,000 and they are using poison bait, how the hell did they come up with that figure. 450k from Europe, 200k from Scotish Natural Heritage and the remainder from donations.

 

I would do it for £450,000 saving them a fortune, using just the money from Europe. All I would need 3 months off work a decent tent, small boat, loads of poison, air rifle and supplies.

[Beretta06]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2027347/Black-Death-backtrack-Dont-blame-rats-plague-spread-PEOPLE.html

 

Save the rats - cull all the people!!!! Clearly, it IS a DM article, so this is a tongue in cheek post!!

[A1Decoy]

Plenty of Black rat down these ways.. In cans of cider anyway haha

 

Oscar

[kent]

What a way to waste money. I await the re-introduction costs, like all the other unwanted stuff we got rid of that's now being put back into a changed landscape it will surely come

[Old farrier]

Maybe the black rat got the blame for the plague on account of the brown one not being here at the time

Just wonder if any other creature can carry and spread it

Buzzards ravens cats ect

Just a thought

All the best

Of

[Berettacocker]

The last remaining colony of Black Rats in the UK, on the Shiant Islands, are to be exterminated shortly.

 

They have resided on the islands for over a hundred years, and co existed withe the massive seabird colonies on that island for all that time.

 

Seems a bit sad that they will be gone, they have been a part of our history for over a thousand years.

 

Save the Black rat!!!

if they're co-existing with the sea birds,then why cull them? By the way I'm up for the job!

[Mentalmac]

There's black rats in the docks at Tilbury in the Grain terminal... :-)

[FalconFN]

What a way to waste money. I await the re-introduction costs, like all the other unwanted stuff we got rid of that's now being put back into a changed landscape it will surely come

Ha, you are probably right.

[CharlieT]

What a way to waste money. I await the re-introduction costs, like all the other unwanted stuff we got rid of that's now being put back into a changed landscape it will surely come

 

The Black Rat is not a native species and a threat to one of Europes most important Puffin populations. How can the regeneration of such an important asset be classed as a waste of money.

 

They are looking for donations, instead of criticizing why not do something positive and make a donation.

[kent]

The Black Rat is not a native species and a threat to one of Europes most important Puffin populations. How can the regeneration of such an important asset be classed as a waste of money.

 

They are looking for donations, instead of criticizing why not do something positive and make a donation.

Hey, I am all for protecting the puffins but this wasn't directly posed in the thread. I am not for killing all that is non native or indeed anything on this sole basis because we shouldn't have a lot left after we had finished. Only Red and Roe deer (and the English Roe other than Northern Cumbria etc were re-introduced stock anyhow it seems).

If one looks into our freshwater fish the list of true natives is even shorter, so we must be even more careful with the "Non-Native" thing

[FalconFN]

Hey, I am all for protecting the puffins but this wasn't directly posed in the thread. I am not for killing all that is non native or indeed anything on this sole basis because we shouldn't have a lot left after we had finished. Only Red and Roe deer (and the English Roe other than Northern Cumbria etc were re-introduced stock anyhow it seems).

If one looks into our freshwater fish the list of true natives is even shorter, so we must be even more careful with the "Non-Native" thing

+1 Some non natives are beneficial - sycamore for example, black rats have been here for 2000 years whereas the brown has only been here for 300 or so.

[CharlieT]

Hey, I am all for protecting the puffins but this wasn't directly posed in the thread. I am not for killing all that is non native or indeed anything on this sole basis because we shouldn't have a lot left after we had finished. Only Red and Roe deer (and the English Roe other than Northern Cumbria etc were re-introduced stock anyhow it seems).

If one looks into our freshwater fish the list of true natives is even shorter, so we must be even more careful with the "Non-Native" thing

 

 

+1 Some non natives are beneficial - sycamore for example, black rats have been here for 2000 years whereas the brown has only been here for 300 or so.

 

 

Perhaps you both should both do a little research before jumping on "the save the rat campaign"!

 

http://www.hebrides-news.com/shiants-rat-cull-10614.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-27738095

[FalconFN]

I'm not on any bandwagon, just pointing out that it isn't as black and white as saying something is non native so must be eradicated.

 

Anyway, we've only got the problem because puffins are to lazy to build nests in trees like proper birds, and if they don't want rats coming in willy-nilly they they should get front doors, like hobbits do. Problem solved.

[scolopax]

Black rats have been on the Shiants for over a century, among other seabirds it is also home to a huge puffin colony, one of the biggest in the UK, they have co existed for one heck of a long time. As far as I can see the situation has not changed. It is the final chapter of a black rat eradication campaign.

[islandgun]

The Islands are roughly 350 acres. They say its costing £900,000 and they are using poison bait, how the hell did they come up with that figure. 450k from Europe, 200k from Scotish Natural Heritage and the remainder from donations.

 

I would do it for £450,000 saving them a fortune, using just the money from Europe. All I would need 3 months off work a decent tent, small boat, loads of poison, air rifle and supplies.

I live on Harris and worked on both Mink eradication projects going back about approx 14 years, most of the money will be spent on administration, health and safety, new modes of transport, courses, and jollies. another major problem facing most of the seabirds in this area is lack of food (sandeels etc) one of the old time fisherman I know has, over the years noticed serious declines in many species that once nested on tiny offshore islands to the west, oh the Shiants are pronounced shants and don;t be so sure that there arn't black rats elsewhere on these islands!

[scolopax]

I spoke to a lad who was employed as part of the Ruddy Duck cull, they had the best of everything, vehicles, boats, outboards etc. what sticks in my mind was that he told me they were using Swarovski binoculars and Tungsten Matrix shells, taxpayers money again. I hate to think how much was also spent on admin, courses and HSE.