A recent scientific report has uncovered a new man-made ecodrama. More than one third of seabirds are currently threatened by rats, but ?? here again man does not go free!
The Norwegian Rat
The Norwegian rat or Brown rat or City rat is officially called Rattus norvegicus. She is not from Norway, but perhaps from Asia. It had been distributed in Europe since ancient times. It has largely supplanted the Black rat (Rattus rattus), which spread the plague in our cities through its fleas in the Middle Ages.
The brown rat is a very strong animal that can adapt well to different temperatures, polluted air, food scarcity, etc.
The rat is going on a journey
Hordes of rats have accompanied ships on their sea voyage for centuries. We cannot blame them. After all, the ship’s hold is full of goodies and it is often warmer and drier than on the quays of the European countries.
Rats leave the sinking ship
This saying is not based on nothing. Some say the rats have a normal or paranormal sense that a ship will sink on its next voyage and disembark safely.
For the rats, however, a ship does not have to be in danger to disembark. Often the rats go ashore when unloading the cargo. This way they end up in places where they have never lived naturally.
Advent types
Adventer species are called animal or plant species that invite themselves to a new land. Many adventitious species die quickly because the host country is not at the ideal temperature or because there are too many natural enemies.
A paradise for the rats
Since the rat is a multipurpose animal, it can thrive in many places. Often there are no natural enemies at all and enough food, so that the host country for the rat becomes a paradise.
Islands and sea birds
Many seabirds live and breed on small islands safely away from the big city. Safe because there are relatively few natural enemies for the birds here. The most vulnerable are of course the eggs and the young birds.
And then the rats came
As mentioned, shipping has deposited the brown rat all over the world. This rat has no natural enemies on those breeding islands. However, he is always hungry. The rats here feast on eggs and young sea birds. When really hungry, they even dare to attack adult birds.
The damage
About a third of the more than 300 seabird species are endangered. The main culprit for this danger of extinction is the adventitious rat! 90% of the world’s islands are said to have already been occupied by the rat population.
Rats or sea birds?
Eradication programs for rats are being set up on many islands (few percent). This has met a lot of opposition from certain ecologists. However, it is the rat or the seabird. If they stay together, the rat will win irrevocably.