Massive Reindeer Cull to Save Sub-Antarctic Birds

Non-native reindeer trample nests of penguins and other birds on South Georgia, in the far South Atlantic.

Thousands of reindeer have been slaughtered on a remote British island where the animals were introduced a century ago from a herd in Norway.

Reindeer have become an increasing threat to native wildlife on South Georgia, which is located in the far South Atlantic, near Antarctica.

A team of 16 hunters corralled many of the targeted 3,500 animals into pens on South Georgia.

Others in remote areas were shot with rifles. About 1,500 remaining reindeer will be targeted in a final cull next year.

“It will be an amazing change for the island” to have no reindeer, Martin Collins, chief executive of the government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, told Reuters by telephone.

A few dozen reindeer were brought to South Georgia by whalers in the early 20th century to be used as a reliable source of food in the remote region.

But their population has since exploded, with the hoofed animals stomping through the ground nests of native birds such as penguins and the South Georgia pipit.

The reindeer have also munched through native plants and grass. A separate project to rid South Georgia of rats and mice brought to the island by ships has also been conducted.

Photo: File