Pesticide bombing of Farallones mice spurs debate
Federal wildlife regulators are considering carpet-bombing the Farallon Islands next fall with potent pesticides aimed at eradicating hordes of house mice, an invasive population grown so large officials say it has radically altered the islands’ ecology and now threatens rare seabirds.
But animal welfare groups contend the lethal chemicals could ruin the prized sanctuary and drift throughout the food web, killing not just the rodents, but birds, reptiles and even microscopic crustaceans.
Great idea - dump poison all over the Farallon Islands! It may kill the mice, but at what cost to the overall ecology of this Sanctuary?