Rat news for reef’s North West Island
Results of an intensive rat eradication program on North West Island, a coral cay in the southern Great Barrier Reef, have been revealed.
Marked as a major win for the conservation of threatened turtles and seabirds, North West Island was declared rat-free this week, after a thorough aerial and ground eradication program.
North West Island is a significant seabird and turtle rookery in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, and situated in the Capricornia Cays National Park, 75km north-east of Gladstone.
The presence of black rats on the island was first reported to Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) in November 2022 by campground hosts, just months after the island was announced clear of mice.
Rangers then confirmed rats had spread throughout the island through the deployment of remote cameras and Black Trakka ink monitoring stations.
Senior ranger Damon Shearer said the rats appeared to have found their way to the island as stowaways on boats or in the camping equipment brought to the island by visitors.
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“The November 2022 confirmation that black rats had spread around the island was disappointing, because mice were declared as eradicated from the island just three months earlier,” Shearer says.
This eradication project became a key priority for QPWS and the Gidarjil Land and Sea Rangers because of the island’s environmental values.
Black rats pose a serious environmental risk on isolated islands as a single breeding pair can create a population of thousands within a year, Shearer said.
The rats feed on seabirds and their eggs and chicks, as well as vegetation, and turtle eggs and hatchlings.
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Shearer confirmed aerial bats by helicopter were the most effective form of eradication, which were used alongside bait stations and trapping.
“The eradication program took 18 months, and the team frequently altered tactics and adapted to the rats’ changing behaviour,” he said.
He adds that after the eradication program was completed, remote cameras and Black Trakka traps were used to search for remaining rats.
“Twelve months of intensive monitoring has shown no evidence of black rats, and rangers and Gidarjil Land and Sea Rangers are proud of the hard work that went into protecting the island,” Shearer says.
As school holidays approach, QPWS urged visitors to the island to check all equipment for rats and mice before departure and arrive at the island pest-free.
The eradication project was delivered by the Reef Authority and QPWS through the Reef Joint Field Management Program, funded through the Australian Government’s Reef Trust by Australia Pacific LNG, QGC and Santos GLNG.
Feral animals can be reported to the department by calling 13 74 68 (13 QGOV).
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