[Exclusive] Dokdo ecosystem disturbance 'house rat'... No natural enemies, a headache for eradication

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On Dokdo, an island designated as a natural monument, large 'house mice' are disturbing the ecosystem.

It is presumed to have been introduced by boat from the land, but the breeding is fast and the eradication work is not very effective in the absence of natural enemies.

This is the exclusive report of TBC reporter Kim Do-yoon.

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An animal the size of an adult forearm that moves quickly with twinkling eyes.

This is a 'house rat' introduced to Dokdo 15 years ago.

They run around the front of the fisherman's quarters like their own yard, and the area around the trap has become a reunion place for house mice.

This is a video filmed by a camera installed by Kyungpook National University's Ulleungdo Dokdo Research Institute on major migration routes in Dokdo from 2019 to this year to remove rats.

I caught close to 200 in 4 years, and it is estimated that about 150 are breeding throughout Dongdo and Seodo.

It seems to be the cause of the strong fertility in the Dokdo environment without natural enemies, and the continued influx through ships.

[Dr. Kim Yong-gi/Director of Ecological Information Research Institute: House mice themselves have strong reproductive power.

It also has strong recovery power.

So, even if more than 90% of the control is done, there are cases where the population recovers within a few months.]

As a result of analyzing the causes of death of 81 internationally protected petrels that have died en masse in the last 4 years, more than 90% were confirmed as rat attacks. That's it.

They also prey on the eggs and young of black-tailed gulls and other migratory birds, interfering with their reproduction.

However, the relevant authorities have been unable to find a suitable method other than trapping using mouse traps for several years.

[Cho Young-seok/Professor of Biology Education, Daegu University: (Cultural Heritage Administration and Ministry of Environment) are actually continuing the same monitoring.

The public pays taxes, but government agencies are spending double taxes under the package of goodwill competition

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(Video coverage: Kim Do-yoon TBC, CG: Kim Yu-jin TBC, materials provided: Cultural Heritage Administration, Kyungpook National University Ulleungdo and Dokdo Research Institute)