Suwarrow

from Escape Magazine of the Cook Islands Issue 32

by EscapeMagazineCK

Motone Productions - not to be missed

A Race Against Time (RAT)

Story & photos by Te Ipukarea Society

The largely untouched atoll of Suwarrow holds a special place in the hearts of many Cook Islanders. As the nation’s only national park, it is a sanctuary for marine life and an important breeding area for seabirds such as tara (sooty terns), kōta’a (frigates) and kena (brown boobies).

Biodiversity and invasive species are key areas of work for Te Ipukarea Society. For a number of years now, we have been trying to remove kiore (polynesian rats), which are one of the main threats to ground nesting birds, from Suwarrow.

Our staff travelled to Suwarrow in 2013 and again in 2018 in an attempt to eradicate rats from this very important seabird nesting atoll. Rats can impact bird populations by eating eggs and chicks. After the 2018 campaign on the atoll, we felt confident that we had achieved our aim.

In July 2021, we returned to Suwarrow on the traditional voyaging canoe Marumaru Atua. This was to do some monitoring of the seabirds, and also follow-up to ensure the previous rat eradication attempt was truly a success. This involved camping out on Motu Tou and setting traps across the 3 motu. We set 42 traps that first night, mostly on Motu Tou but also on the two smaller Kena motu nearby. A number of traps were damaged by coconut crabs, so we had less for the next two nights. Our goal of a total of over 100 “trap nights” over three nights was achieved despite the best efforts of coconut crab vandals.

When setting the traps for the third night on one of the Kena motu, we were very disappointed to see a few kiore running around on Motu Kena, where red tailed tropic birds nest on the ground in significant numbers.

We did not manage to actually catch any rats for DNA sampling. This would have been useful to confirm whether they were from the same stock as those prior to 2018, or whether there had been a re-introduction from another source. The main reason making it difficult to catch any rats, if they are present, is the many curious coconut crabs that set off the traps before any rat would get the opportunity to snack on our roasted coconut bait. The crabs

Some rat species are able to breed so fast that only 2 individuals can produce up to 1 million relatives in only 18 months. This is why we believe it is urgent to deal with this kiore population as soon as possible, as they too are also prolific breeders and numbers will increase exponentially in a short time. There are probably already hundreds on the island, and we are concerned they may soon spread to adjacent islets, affecting more vulnerable bird nesting sites and undoing all the hard work done over the years to try and eradicate the rats from Suwarrow.

We also took advantage of our time in Suwarrow to survey some of the other main bird nesting motu. The small islets that make up The Seven Sisters were densely populated with frigate bird and sooty tern nests. There were juvenile birds and eggs of both species everywhere, with a density of around 1 nest per square metre for those areas in which they were found. We also saw a lulu (masked booby) sitting on two eggs, confirming that they also nest in Suwarrow. Back on Motu Tou and Motu Kena, the main nesting birds present were tavake (red-tailed tropic birds), Kota’a (frigate birds), toroa and kena (red and brown footed booby).

We very much appreciated the assistance of NES ranger Katu Teiti who accompanied us on all the rat and bird associated work, and of course, head ranger Harry Papai for arranging transport to the motu. Also the help from Pareu Pera and Kane Heather, from the ‘Ātui’anga ki te Tango youth programme run by our sister NGO Kōrero o te `Ōrau.

There is an urgent need to return to Suwarrow to complete the task of eradicating the rats to protect the birds on Motu Kena, as well as minimise the opportunity for rats to multiply and spread to other islands. We hope to complete this work in May/June 2022, and are actively fundraising, both here and overseas.

We have an estimated cost of NZD$50,000, including the charter cost of the Marumaru Atua voyaging canoe. Not only is this the most environmentally friendly way to travel between islands, with a very low carbon footprint, it is also the most affordable option available to us. In addition, this voyage will provide valuable training for some of our young up and coming Cook Islands voyagers. We will also be making use of some of the strong young vaka crew to assist with the very physical work required clearing access tracks for spreading the rat baits.

If you, like us, give a rat’s about Suwarrow and bird conservation, please join us in this battle by donating to our Suwarrow - Race Against Time RAT campaign.

If you are in the Cook Islands, you can pop into our office (phone 21144) to donate. Otherwise our bank account at Bank of the Cook Islands is Te Ipukarea Society, Ac. No. 82853S15. Please annotate “Suwarrow”. If you are in New Zealand, our Kiwibank account is Te Ipukarea, Ac. No. 389 020 0794187 00. Website: www.givealittle.co.nz

For anywhere else in the world, there is our GiveAlittle page “Protecting a Little Paradise”. We can send receipts to anyone on request. www.givealittle.co.nz

We are also selling our popular 1200ml insulated bottles, which are great for keeping drinks cold or hot. These are decorated with a beautiful Cook Island motif design by Raniera Ellison. For every bottle sold, $5 will go to the Rat Race Against Time Campaign. These are $35 and are available from our office on the main road in Avarua, in between Bamboo Jacks and Rarotonga Printing.