Peter Rukavina's Podcast

A CBC “Off the Beaten Track” episode in which I talk about what happens when you bring in cats to eradicate mice. Originally aired on September 22, 2000 on CBC Radio’s Mainstreet program in Prince Edward Island. The Marion Island Cat Eradication Program Introduction: In 1949, five domestic house cats were introduced to Marion Island to help control a problem with house mice.  By 1977, these five cats had multiplied to 3,400 cats and had eaten several bird species to extinction.  This situation begat the “Feral Cat Eradication Program,” which, over the course of 19 years eliminated all of the cats from the Island.  This is their story.  WARNING TO AUDIENCE: This feature contains discussion of the killing of house cats.  Sensitive viewers and cat lovers may wish to go away for 5 minutes. The House Mouse Problem The word mouse has no scientific meaning – it’s used generically to describe small rat-like rodents. The house mouse is one of a greater family of rodents that includes mice, rats, voles, gerbils