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Galapagos Islands: Galapagos National Park

Galapagos Islands Dept: QUITO, Ecuador - The unique bird and reptile species that make the Galapagos Islands a treasure for scientists and tourists must be preserved, Ecuadorean authorities say and that means the rats must die, hundreds of millions of them, according to Winnipeg Free Press. The invasive Norway and black rats, introduced by whalers and buccaneers beginning in the 17th century, feed on the eggs and hatchlings of the islands' native species, which include giant tortoises, lava lizards, snakes, hawks and iguanas. Rats also have depleted plants on which native species feed and in this Nov. 11, 2012 photo released by Galapagos National Park, park staff test equipment that will hold poisonous bait to kill rats on the Galapagos Islands, as they stand on Baltra Island. To preserve the unique birds, reptiles and native plants that make the Galapagos Islands such an ecological treasure, authorities will start on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012 phase II of a mass kill-off of black and Norway rats, an invasive species introduced to the Pacific Ocean islands by whalers and buccaneers beginning in the 17 century. AP Photo/Galapagos National Park A helicopter is to begin dropping nearly 22 tons of specially designed poison bait on an island Thursday, launching the second phase of a campaign to clear out by 2020 non-native rodents from the archipelago that helped inspire Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.