Henderson Island Rats

Henderson Island is a remote coral island in the South Pacific. There are no human inhabitants, but the island is home to an abundance of wildlife. Henderson Island contains birds, invertebrates, and plants that do not exist anywhere else in the world. The island also has a serious rat problem.
Polynesian rats were introduced to the island by sailors approximately 800 years ago. Researchers who visit the island today have to be careful with their food packaging because a rat can chew through a tent to reach the snacks inside. Also, the rats regularly eat baby chicks. Approximately 95 percent of chicks that hatch on Henderson Island are eaten by rats within one week. This includes hatchlings of the Henderson petrel, a ground-nesting seabird that is already endangered.