'Team Rat' makes progress

Wanaka pilot Peter  Garden in his ''office'' during a rat-poisoning operation on South Georgia...
Wanaka pilot Peter Garden in his ''office'' during a rat-poisoning operation on South Georgia Island in 2013. Photo supplied.
Fine weather in the South Atlantic Ocean is playing into the hands of ''Team Rat'' chief helicopter pilot Peter Garden, of Wanaka.

Mr Garden is a member of the South Georgia Island Heritage Trust team closing in on the island's last rats.

His partner, Bev Clark, of Wanaka, told the Otago Daily Times yesterday the island, five days' sailing from the Falkland Islands, has had some snow.

But the weather has been good enough for the helicopter poisoning programme to be two weeks ahead of schedule.

This summer's programme involves spreading of 95 tonnes of Brodifacoum over 360sq km of the island to kill brown or Norway rats.

It is the third phase of the biggest rodent eradication project ever undertaken.

The $13 million programme, based at King Edward Cove near the centre of the island, was disrupted earlier this month by hurricane-force winds which damaged one of its three twin-engine Bolkow BO 105 helicopters.

However, the three pilots, each flying eight-hour shifts in the two remaining machines, were now about halfway through the poisoning operation, Ms Clark said.

''They're well ahead of schedule and they hope to move out to the forward operating base within the next couple of days.''

Mr Garden has been to South Georgia five times since the programme began in 2011, and Ms Clark said he had already noted an improvement in the bird life on the two parts of the island poisoned previously.

Rats introduced to the island from whaling ships 200 years ago and their predation caused a 90% drop in the number of seabirds.

It will be 2017 before it can be said with certainty all rats have been eradicated.

South Georgia is 167km long and between 1.4km and 37km wide.

The only human inhabitants are about 30 British scientists.

mark.price@odt.co.nz

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