PLAGUE OF RATS

Otago Witness, Issue 3556, 9 May 1922, Page 28

PLAGUE OF RATS

. LORD HOWE ISLAND SUFFERS. (From Our Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, April 19. Through the ravages of rats, the chief industry of Lord Howe Island—palm seed raising—is threatened with extinction. During the past 12 months the rats have increased at such an alarming rate that there are now millions of them over-running the island, and destroying everything in their path. Not only do these pests devour the palm seeds, which take four years to ripen, but they gnaw the roots of palm and bulb. Bird life has been nearly wiped out, because the rats attack not only the birds, but also the eggs in the nest and the fledglings. These birds were a valuable asset to the settlers, a.s thev lived chiefly upon the insect life of the palm groves, and now pests are having a free run, destroying what the rats leave. One of the worst results is that the undergrowth on the island, comprising millions upon millions of young nalms, had to be destroyed, in order to rob the hungry hordes of the excellent cover which enables them to thrive and multiply. It seems as if nothing can be done to cope with the menace, though all sorts of expedients have been tried. The rat reigns supreme, and a miracle Would be required to rid this beautiful island of the invaders.