A. Frame from amotion-activated infrared camera of a House Mouse attacking an adult male Wandering Albatross, inset close-up of the scalp wound.  B. An adult male Wandering Albatross brooding its chick with a severe wound to the elbow joint of its wing.  C. An adult male brooding its chick, with a wound on its right tibiotarsal joint, bleeding onto the bird’s rump.  D. A minor wound was detected on the right elbow of an adult male Wandering Albatross (from the publication)

Michelle Risi (Marine Apex Predator Research Unit, Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha, South Africa) and colleagues have published in the journal Biological Conservation on their observations of introduced House Mice attacking and killing adult Wandering Albatrosses Diomedea exulans (Vulnerable) on South Africa’s sub-Antarctic Marion Island.  The publication includes three short videos as electronic supplementary material depicting mouse attacks.

The paper’s abstract follows:

“Invasive rodents severely impact native species, especially on oceanic islands.  House mice Mus musculus are known predators of seabird chicks, and there is growing concern about their attacks on adult birds.  On sub-Antarctic Marion Island, the single largest breeding site for wandering albatrosses Diomedea exulans, invasive mice, the sole introduced mammal, pose an escalating threat to this Vulnerable species.  We report the first direct evidence of mice attacking adult wandering albatrosses, and record mouse attacks on adult wandering albatrosses beyond the localised incidents reported in 2023.  Of 2,979 wandering albatross nests counted island-wide in January 2024, 2,295 remained active in April, with 1,102 attended by adults brooding or guarding chicks.  Of these, 11 adults (1%) exhibited mouse-inflicted wounds (including a scalp injury, as well as the more common wing joint wounds), and two fresh adult carcasses were discovered.  Injured adults and carcasses were distributed across all wandering albatross breeding colonies.  Wounds predominantly affected males (10 of 11); one adult succumbed to its injuries within six weeks.  The 11 nests with injured adults had a 45% breeding success rate, below the island-wide average of 61%.  At Cape Davis, where mice were first recorded attacking adults in 2023, breeding success was just 28%.  This expansion in attack range and severity underscores the urgent need to eradicate mice from Marion Island to conserve wandering albatrosses and other threatened biota.”

Reference:

Risi, M.M., Jones, C.W., Connan, M., Gill, R., Stephen, V., Cunningham, S.J. &·Ryan, P.G. 2025.  Escalating threats: house mouse attacks on adult wandering albatrosses spread across Marion Island.  Biological Invasions 27. 149.  doi.org/10.1007/s10530-025-03610-8.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels, 11 June 2025

The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Life Science Group Fellowship Programme is designed to encourage the active involvement of early and mid-career researchers in the work of the Life Sciences Group to mentor potential future SCAR leaders and promote professional development.  This fellowship programme is funded for two years.

Details of the Award

The award is for US$10 000 per year.  Funds can be used as a stipend; to cover the costs of travel to attend workshops, symposia and/or business meetings; or for other purposes as determined in consultation with the Chief Officer of the SG.  Initial appointments are for one year.  First-year fellows can apply for the second year, but a second year is not guaranteed.

It is expected that the time commitment of the fellows will average ~3 hours/week.  However, activities and time will vary from week to week.  For example, preparations for meetings will likely require a longer weekly effort and some weeks may not have any work.

Eligibility

The programme is for researchers from SCAR member countries (full or associate). PhD students or those within t10 years of having completed a PhD on the day of the deadline for applications.

Prior work with SCAR is not a requirement to apply, but any involvement with SCAR should be included in the application.  Researchers from countries with developing Antarctic programmes (e.g., SCAR Associate Member countries) are encouraged to apply.

Description of Fellowship

The role of the fellow will be to:

• Support the administrative work of Chief Officers and improve communication between Science Groups, their subsidiary groups, the SCAR Secretariat and the SCAR Executive Committee.
• Participate in Science Group activities and assist Chief Officers in report and meeting preparations.
• Solicit, gather, and provide news items and other outreach material about Science Group activities for the SCAR Newsletter and website.
• Work with the Chief Officers to develop strategies that will further promote SCAR activities within the international science community.

The role of the Life Sciences Group leadership will be to:

• Mentor fellows in the work of SCAR, especially the activities of the SG and its subsidiary Expert Groups and Action Groups.
• Train potential future leaders of SCAR groups (e.g., Science Groups, Action Groups, Expert groups, etc.).

Application review will begin 8 July 2025; for full consideration please submit your application by this date.

Read more, including how to apply, here.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels. 10 June 2025

Following on from World Oceans Day on Sunday 8 June, the 2025 United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development (the 2025 UN Ocean Conference) co-hosted by France and Costa Rica is being held this week over 9-13 June in Nice, France.

The overarching theme of the Conference is “Accelerating action and mobilizing all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean”. The Conference aims to support further and urgent action to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development and identify further ways and means to support the implementation of SDG 14. It will build on existing instruments to form successful partnerships towards the swift conclusion and effective implementation of ongoing processes that contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of the ocean.

The Conference involves all relevant stakeholders, bringing together Governments, the United Nations system, intergovernmental organizations, international financial institutions, other interested international bodies, non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, academic institutions, the scientific community, the private sector, philanthropic organizations, indigenous peoples and local communities and other actors to assess challenges and opportunities relating to, as well as actions taken towards, the implementation of Goal 14.

The Conference will build on the previous UN Ocean Conferences, hosted by Sweden and Fiji in 2017 in New York and by Portugal and Kenya in 2022 in Lisbon.

“The ocean is fundamental to life on our planet and to our future.  The ocean is an important source of the planet’s biodiversity and plays a vital role in the climate system and water cycle. The ocean provides a range of ecosystem services, supplies us with oxygen to breathe, contributes to food security, nutrition and decent jobs and livelihoods, acts as a sink and reservoir of greenhouse gases and protects biodiversity, provides a means for maritime transportation, including for global trade, forms an important part of our natural and cultural heritage and plays an essential role in sustainable development, a sustainable ocean-based economy and poverty eradication” - political declaration of the 2022 United Nations Ocean Conference.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels. 09 June 2025

Indian-Yellow nosed and Amsterdam Albatrosses by Di Roberts, in pastels and pencil

For the sixth year running, ACAP has collaborated with the international collective Artists and Biologists Unite for Nature (ABUN) to produce artworks depicting ACAP-listed albatrosses and petrels.  This year the featured species are the Endangered Amsterdam Albatross Diomedea amsterdamensis, endemic to France’s Amsterdam Island, and the southern Indian Ocean’s Endangered Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross Thalassarche carteri in support of ACAP’s theme “Effects of Disease” for this year’s World Albatross Day on 19 June (WAD2025).  ABUN Project #49 ran from 01 April until 31 May, and following a week’s grace to allow for late submissions, resulted in 35 artworks becoming available for ACAP’s use.

Watercolour by Flávia Barreto of a banded Amsterdam Albatross tending its chick, after a photograph by Antony Buttet

Within 24 hours of Project #49 commencing the first painting was submitted by Brazilian artist Silvia Abramant.  Her watercolour depicts an Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross tending its chick, inspired by a photograph taken by Dominique Filippi in the Falaises d'Entrecasteaux colony on Amsterdam Island in the southern Indian Ocean.  The albatrosses breeding at this locality have been deleteriously affected by two diseases, avian cholera caused by Pasteurella multocida and erysipelas from Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, influencing the species’ threat classification of Endangered.

Since Sylvia’s artwork, 23 more ABUN artists have contributed to Project #49.  Notably, Flávia Barreto, who also resides in Brazil has submitted no less than five paintings, one of them being included below.  Several other artists submitted more than one painting, including Tasmanian Maureen Bennetts who sent in two works depicting Indian Yellow-nosed Albatrosses.

The last artwork submitted to ABUN Project #49.  An Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross stands over its chick on Amsterdam Island by Apple Resonance, after a photograph by Karine Delord

Seven artworks were received from young people in India, aged from nine to 12, encouraged by their art teacher and ABUN member Deepti Jain (click here). Deepti, who lives in Mumbai, also contributed her own painting, showing both albatross species.

Digital artwork by Deepti Jain of Amsterdam and Indian Yellow-nosed Albatrosses, after photographs by Jeremy Dechartre and Kirk Zufelt

With Project #49 now ended the intention is to choose six of the 34  paintings, three for each species, to illustrate art posters in support of World Albatross Day.  The posters will be made freely available on this website for downloading and display between now and 19 June.  Watch this space!

You can view all the Project #49 artworks in a photo album on ACAP’s Facebook page.

With thanks to Marion Schon and all the contributing ABUN artists.

John Cooper, Emeritus Information Officer, Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels. 06 June 2025, updated 08 June 2025