Lord Howe Island’s plague of rats to be exterminated with air-dropped baits

Helicopters will drop tonnes of poison across the pristine World Heritage-listed Lord Howe Island as part of a controversial plan to combat a rat plague that has split the community with tourists warned against eating fish and plans to pour milk from the island’s dairy herd down the drain.

A radical plan to rid Lord Howe Island of a rat plague by aerial baiting has split the community with tourists warned against eating fish and plans to pour milk from the island’s dairy herd down the drain.

Tonnes of rat poison will be dumped by helicopter across the pristine World Heritage-listed paradise in a controversial operation that will begin next month after final rules were set by a tribunal last Thursday.

Resident Gai Wilson says baiting will ruin World Heritage listed Lord Howe Island.

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But barely a day after the news reached the island, violence broke out at the Lord Howe Island Golf Club where one of the champions of the campaign against baiting was allegedly assaulted by one of its proponents.

Peter Curtin, a leader of the Lord Howe Island First Peoples Association, on Sunday flew to Sydney for treatment at the Prince of Wales Hospital on the orders of his GP as the 350 island residents remain deeply divided over the toxic program which scientists accept will kill some of Lord Howe’s unique birdlife.

Many fear tourists will be discouraged from visiting the island. Picture: Luke Bowden

Some cattle will be evacuated from the island, tourists banned from walking in the forests that cover three-quarters of the land and islanders are being advised to cover their roofs with tarps to stop the bait poisoning the water tanks.

Taronga Zoo keepers will be corralling 126 each of the Lord Howe Island woodhen and currawong for the duration of the baiting operation to stop them being wiped out.

Tourists will be handed leaflets about the “sweetened” pellets to stop children eating them while a special supply of the antidote, Vitamin K1, is being stockpiled.

While the Lord Howe Island Board, a NSW government statutory authority, has warned about eating the livers of locally-caught fish after baiting, Deputy President of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal Brian Rayment said in his judgment last week that if only to protect itself from being sued, the board should ban the eating of all fish.

Scientists use cameras to monitor the damage rats are doing to sea bird nests. Picture: Facebook

Pet dogs will be muzzled to stop them eating the pellets and landowners who object to their property being aerial bombed face fines of up to $1.1 million.

The AAT has ruled animals cannot graze on baited areas for at least four months, meaning milk will have to be disposed of until baits are done and testing confirms it is safe to drink.

“This whole thing will be a disaster. We might as well kiss our World Heritage listing goodbye,” said fifth-generation islander Rodney Thompson, 80, who disputes there is a plague.

Another opponent Gai Wilson, 55, said the baiting would ruin the island.

Rats swam onto the island when the SS Makambo which ran aground off Lord Howe Island in 1918. Picture: Wikipedia

“It’s a given that it’s going to harm birdlife for starters and God knows what it will do to the marine life and the whole ecosystem,” Ms Wilson said.

Black rats swam from a sinking ship, the SS Makambo, in 1918 before it was refloated and estimates put the number of rats as high as 360,000 — about 1000 for every islander.

They have been blamed for the extinction of five species of bird and 13 invertebrates.

Ship rats (Rattus rattus).

But there are fears tourism numbers will be hit, with 16,000 visitors each year to the island.

The PestOff Rodent Bait 20R will be spread from May.

Island board CEO Peter Adams said the board had secured all relevant regulatory approvals.