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Wood mice, not woodlice...
Jan. 14th, 2006 10:38 amA news item on the radio last night reported progress of a project on the Hebridean island of Canna.
It seems that the bird population were being endangered by rats, which are not native to the island (they were "accidentally introduced to Canna hundreds of years ago") and the decision was taken to eradicate the rats. The rat catchers were called in, and devised a plan to poison the rats with bait enclosed in traps too small to affect any larger mammals: but it could still be eaten by wood mice. (These are not native to the island either, but were probably introduced to by the vikings, and so have seniority).
So the mice were trapped and evacuated. Last night's story was that the work was almost complete, and that the wood mice who had been sent to Edinburgh Zoo would shortly be returning home, presumably wearing tiny t-shirts that read "I've seen the penguins at Edinburgh Zoo".
It seems that the bird population were being endangered by rats, which are not native to the island (they were "accidentally introduced to Canna hundreds of years ago") and the decision was taken to eradicate the rats. The rat catchers were called in, and devised a plan to poison the rats with bait enclosed in traps too small to affect any larger mammals: but it could still be eaten by wood mice. (These are not native to the island either, but were probably introduced to by the vikings, and so have seniority).
So the mice were trapped and evacuated. Last night's story was that the work was almost complete, and that the wood mice who had been sent to Edinburgh Zoo would shortly be returning home, presumably wearing tiny t-shirts that read "I've seen the penguins at Edinburgh Zoo".
