Lundy's Rat Elimination Triggers Puffin Comeback and Seabird Boom
Off southwest England, Lundy Island’s invasive rats devastated seabird colonies, with puffins dwindling to 13 breeding pairs by 2000. A 2002 rat-eradication and ongoing biosecurity enabled seabirds to rebound dramatically: puffins rose to about 1,335 individuals and more than 40,000 seabirds now nest on Lundy annually, making it a leading example of island conservation and the importance of keeping rats out.