Comments

Humans should be held responsible for messes they create. These birds have no defenses against predators because they had adapted (over a period starting much earlier than the 19th century) to the habitat that was Gough Island – an island that was previously uninhabited by mice. Look at pretty much any invasive species – and its effect on the surrounding wildlife – it is in almost every situation devastating to the original inhabitants. And in almost every case – it was the fault of the humans for introducing it there (I don’t think mice were able to swim 2000 miles to a tiny island). Ships of the old days were INFESTED with mice – along with their ballasts full of fish and muscle species from their original port – these mice could have easily gotten off the ships when docked via ropes, ramps, cargo, etc. Sucks for the birds that humans must make their mark everywhere.