Due to inadvertent introduction to Marion Island 200 years ago, the whiskered rats are proliferating rapidly as temperatures rise due to climate change.
On the little island between Antarctica and South Africa in the sub-Antarctic Indian Ocean, environmentalists are now acting quickly and decisively, leaving little room for error.
As part of the massive pest management initiative Mouse-Free Marion, up to six helicopters will dump 550 tons of rat poison all across the island.
However, their prodigious breeding potential means it might have been all for naught if even one pregnant mouse makes it through.
