The island is at war with Norway rats

They colonized the island and threatened biodiversity. A vast operation of rat extermination has been conducted since September 9, and 2,500 rodents have already been eradicated.

When we come to see rats walking on the beach, we say that this is no longer possible, says Jean-Luc Chiffoleau, the mayor. Since September 9th, a vast campaign of rat extermination has been launched. Objective: to eliminate the rattus norvegicus, commonly known as the brown rat.

Hoëdic, like several other Breton islands, has seen the small animal multiply at high speed in recent years. They do not have a natural predator, unlike those of the continent. Our annual deratting operations were not sufficient to limit the population, describes the elected. We arrived at a point where we sometimes saw them in the streets or on the beaches ... A blow for Hoëdic's postcard image.

But the overpopulation of these pests poses especially health problems. The rodent attacks the pipes, electrical wires, foodstuffs ... But they also carry diseases. And they have an impact on island wildlife. They attack some protected species of birds.

The municipality has therefore decided to use the major means and launch a campaign of massive rat extermination: It aims to completely eradicate the animal from the island. An operation of this magnitude has never been done before, says the mayor.

Launched at the beginning of September, Help's campaign ends at the end of October. 3,047 bait stations have been deployed on the island and 5,766 baits have already been consumed, which corresponds to the destruction of approximately 2,500 rodents, details Jean-Luc Chiffoleau. Even if it is not over yet, we are already satisfied with the result. "

The recovered rats are systematically recovered, kept in cold storage, before being sent to the continent; first at the National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA) to be studied and then rendering. These rodents evolved in closed circuit on the island. The idea is to see how the species has evolved genetically.

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