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title: "“After the cats…tackling mice on Marion Island”- Professor Peter Ryan discusses eradicating House Mice in the sub-Antarctic"
---

# “After the cats…tackling mice on Marion Island”- Professor Peter Ryan discusses eradicating House Mice in the sub-Antarctic

![PeterRyan Photo](https://acap.aq/images/stories/acap/People/PeterRyan_Photo.jpg)   
*Peter Ryan, Director of the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology*

 [Professor Peter Ryan](http://www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za/fitz/staff/director/ryan), Director of the [FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology](http://www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za/) at the University of Cape Town, South Africa and Chair of the [Mouse-Free Marion Project](https://mousefreemarion.org)’s Scientific and Technical Advisory Group, recently presented an illustrated talk on the conservation of [Marion Island](https://acap.aq/news/news-archive/60-2013-news-archive/1371-acap-breeding-sites-no-27-sub-antarctic-marion-island-a-research-laboratory-for-albatrosses-and-petrels)*. *The online talk on 7 October was in the [Unlocking Nature series](http://lcafrica.org/video-library/) arranged by the [Leadership for Conservation in Africa](http://lcafrica.org/).  The LCA invites a diverse range of speakers to share their conservation stories with global audiences.

 *After the cats…tackling mice on Marion Island*

 In his presentation, titled “*After the cats…tackling mice on Marion Island”***,** Peter discussed the devastating impacts introduced House Mice *Mus musculus* are having on the seabirds of the island in the southern Indian Ocean, attacking and killing both chicks and breeding adults of surface-nesting albatrosses and burrowing petrels.  He described the development of techniques that have enabled operations to eradicate mice and other rodents from sub-Antarctic islands successfully, such as [Antipodes](https://acap.aq/latest-news/3114-antipodes-million-dollar-mouse-team-releases-a-video-of-its-successful-eradication-campaign?highlight=WyJhbnRpcG9kZXMiLCInYW50aXBvZGVzJyIsImFudGlwb2RlcyciLCJtaWNlIiwibWljZSdzIiwiYW50aXBvZGVzIG1pY2UiXQ==) and [Macquarie](https://acap.aq/news/latest-news/1930-the-macquarie-island-pest-eradication-project-gets-formally-assessed-as-a-great-result?highlight=WyJtYWNxdWFyaWUiLCJtYWNxdWFyaWUncyIsImlzbGFuZCIsImlzbGFuZCdzIiwiaXNsYW5kJyIsIidpc2xhbmQnIiwibWlwZXAiLCJtaXBlcCdzIiwibWFjcXVhcmllIGlzbGFuZCJd), and this year’s effort to eradicate mice on [Gough Island](https://www.goughisland.com/).  He then went on to describe the plans currently underway by the Mouse-Free Marion Project to eradicate the mice on South Africa’s Marion Island.  If successful, Marion will be the largest sub-Antarctic island freed of its mice in a single operation.

 *![Grey headed Albatross 1 Ben Dilley](https://acap.aq/images/stories/acap/Birds/Albatrosses/G/Grey-headed_Albatross_1_Ben_Dilley.jpg)  
Next in line?  A Grey-headed Albatross chick begs for food on Marion Island, with the carcass of a chick killed by mice on an adjacent nest; photograph by Ben Dilley*

 The presentation was followed by a lively Q&A session, with Peter and [Anton Wolfaardt](https://mousefreemarion.org/introducing-dr-anton-wolfaardt-project-manager-for-the-mouse-free-marion-project/), the Mouse-Free Marion Project Manager, answering the audience’s many questions.  The 80-minute recording of the whole presentation can also be found on Mouse-Free Marion website in the [interviews](https://mousefreemarion.org/interviews/) section.

 With thanks to [Robyn Adams](https://mousefreemarion.org/introducing-robyn-adams-communications-officer-and-project-assistant-for-the-mouse-free-marion-project/), Communications Officer, Mouse-Free Marion Project.

 *John Cooper, ACAP Information Officer, 14 October 2021*