This abstract is for a review paper on house mice eradications
JAMIE W. B. MACKAY AND JAMES. C. RUSSELL, School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland,
Auckland, New Zealand
ELAINE. C. MURPHY, Department of Conservation, Christchurch, New Zealand
Abstract:
The house mouse (Mus musculus) has been spread throughout the world by the actions of humans. It causes severe impacts to native ecosystems, especially in areas where there are no native mammals. It is possible to eradicate mice from islands but they are harder to eradicate than rats. A review of reported eradication attempts found that 17 attempts on 45 islands worldwide failed; a failure rate of 38%. The effect of operational factors on eradication success was examined, but no significant model was formed. Brodifacoum is the most widely used toxicant and has a 49% success rate. Mouse eradications should be attempted wherever possible and recommendations to help increase the success of a house mouse eradication attempt are given.
Key words: brodifacoum, eradication, house mouse, invasive species, island conservation, Mus musculus, rodenticide.
The full paper is at:
Managing Vertebrate Invasive Species: Proceedings of an International Symposium (G. W. Witmer, W. C. Pitt, K. A. Fagerstone, Eds). USDA/APHIS/WS, National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, CO. 2007.
