20 years without rats = tens of thousands of nesting seabirds

Lundy celebrated the 20th anniversary of the island's rat free status last week by bringing together many of the organisations involved in the three year project which ran from 2003 - 2006.

With many of the islands seabirds under severe threat due to years of predation by rats, the decision was taken by The Landmark Trust, The National Trust, Natural England and the RSPB to eradicate rats from the island.

Following an extensive programme, Lundy was successfully declared rat free in 2006 and the island seabirds have flourished ever since.

As a result, there are now over 40,000 seabirds nesting on the island and Lundy is now home to 25,000 Manx Shearwaters, 95% of the UK’s Population.  In the image below is a Manx Shearwater chick. 

Our iconic Puffins have risen dramatically from just 13 birds in 2000 to 1335 individuals, restoring a species that were on the brink of extinction on the island.