Zombie mice overrun the entire island and eat birds ALIVE as 6 helicopters drop 550 tons of poison to wipe them out
A remote island in the southern Indian Ocean has been overrun by vicious zombie mice that come out in droves at night and eat birds alive.
Millions of rodents are about to be wiped out when six helicopters storm Marion Island and drop 550 tons of poison on their heads.
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Albatross, a bird that calls Marion Island home, is regularly tortured and killed by the evil mice.
They move in small packs under the cover of darkness and flock to bird nests where even chicks sleep.
After selecting their victims, the mice sit on the birds’ heads to gnaw their flesh and scalp them alive.
The abused birds eventually become weak and tired from no sleep.
They often become ill, likely develop infections as a result of the horrific attacks, and die.
Disturbing night vision footage taken on the island shows the zombie mice in action.
An image of one mouse shows it sitting on the head of a bird, completely silent with fear, as it chews on the animal’s scalp.
The mice will regularly attack chicks of the dozens of different bird species on the island.
Now, after years of torment on the island, the South African government and Angela’s organization have come up with a plan: the Mouse-Free Marion Project.
Using military precision and a massive effort with a budget of £19.6 million, they hope to eradicate the mice completely.
And Marion, halfway between South Africa and Antarctica, will be the largest island yet where such a maneuver has been attempted.
As many as six helicopters, piloted by highly skilled pilots, will drop 550 tons of poisoned bait for the mice in continuous shifts until the entire island is covered.
Andrea Angel, leader of Birdlife South Africa’s albatrosses task force, said nine.com.au: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so gruesome.
‘They are being scalped. The mice are constantly sitting on the birds at night – on their heads, in their eyes and crawling all over them.
‘The chicks can hardly move. They have wounds that are festering and open on their bellies.
“It’s harrowing to watch and you know it’s going to die. It’s heartbreaking.”
Angel is part of a group of brave scientists who live and conduct research on the island for up to a year, calling them “zombie mice”.
There are no other humans living among the mutated mice.
She can tell which albatrosses have been attacked overnight before she even gets close.
While most are active, “flapping their wings” or “practicing to fly,” those targeted are “just sitting there and doing nothing.”
Angel says that at this point they are so exhausted from trying to escape the mice that they run out of energy and give up.
Once the birds finally die, the mice return to feed on their corpses.
The mice were accidentally brought to Marion in the early 19th century, arriving by ship with sealers.
While the creatures on Marion Island used to coexist quite peacefully, as temperatures warmed in the 2000s, more mice survived the winter.
They multiplied faster and faster and died in greater numbers during the winder.
In their desperation for food, the animals began attacking both adult and baby albatrosses while they rested.
One expert involved in the project says the team of specialists will only get “one chance” to get rid of the zombie mice.
If even a small part of the island is missed during the bait drop and only one pregnant mouse survives, the colony can be regenerated.
The decline should also occur in winter, when they are most active and hunting for food.
The project will cost a fortune – even the bait alone will cost millions.
And flying the helicopters so far south in winter comes with its own risk for those involved.
Nini van der Merwe, spokesperson for BirdLife South Africa (BLSA), said: “The majority of mouse attacks occur in winter, due to food shortages on the island.
“And that is also why the eradication must be done in winter, so that the mice are more likely to take the bait.
‘We really need the weather on our side.
“You have very small windows when conditions are optimal for flying and spreading the bait.”
‘You get one chance. There’s nothing you can do about it anymore. It’s too much money and it takes too much time.’
Speaking about the friendly albatross that Marion calls home, Angel said it’s clear how devastated the birds are when the zombie mice kill their young.
“When you see a chick die from these mouse attacks… what these parents go through brings you to tears.
“You can see the desperation, the care and the love they feel for these girls.”
The island is a rare undisturbed home for the majestic birds, but is also home to 29 other bird species.
Macaroni penguins and seals also call the rare and diverse island home.
The mice feed on other seabirds, albatrosses and invertebrates, disrupting the entire ecosystem of the islands.
Scientists plan to carry out the massive Mouse-Free Marion Project in 2027.
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