New Zealand's bold plan to save endangered animals: kill millions of invasive animals

"The kiwi is New Zealand's most iconic bird. Round and fuzzy, the bird is flightless and has a long beak that makes it adorable or awkward, depending on who you ask. New Zealanders are even known as "kiwis." Still, despite the kiwi's fame, many people in New Zealand have never seen one. Kiwi have become increasingly rare. Over the last century, New Zealand's unique birds have disappeared at a rapid pace."

"The biggest cause of their decline is invasive species, animals brought to New Zealand by humans. Some, like rats, arrived as accidental hitchhikers on ships. Others were released on purpose, either for food or fur, or simply to remind European settlers of home. Without their natural predators to keep them in check, invasive species populations exploded in New Zealand. Native birds became their unfortunate prey."

"Now, the country has started one of the most ambitious conservation projects in the world to save its threatened species. New Zealand has committed to eliminating invasive predators by 2050, a project known as Predator Free 2050. In all, it will mean killing tens of millions of non-native animals. There are small pockets where New Zealand has already succeeded. On some offshore islands, invasive predators have been eradicated using traps and poison. They've become strongholds for rare birds that have nowhere else to survive."

The kiwi is New Zealand's most iconic bird but has become increasingly rare; many New Zealanders have never seen one. Sixty-two native bird species are extinct and more than 80 percent of remaining breeding birds are at risk. The primary cause is invasive species introduced by humans, including rats that arrived on ships and animals released for food or fur. Without natural predators, invasive populations exploded and preyed on native birds. New Zealand committed to eliminating invasive predators by 2050, requiring killing tens of millions of non-native animals and major technological and public support to succeed.

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