Seabird Restoration:
Restore Seabirds to San Nicolas Island
Background
The goal of this action is to restore western gull and Brandt’s cormorant
colonies on the U.S. Navy–owned San Nicolas Island by removing feral cats.
Eggshell thinning and/or elevated levels of DDTs were documented in the eggs of
both of these species in the Southern California Bight. In addition to
seabirds, San Nicolas Island supports a large number of endemic or sensitive
species, including at least 20 plant species, 25 invertebrates, one reptile,
three birds, and two mammals.
Introduced predators, particularly feral cats and rats, are one of the greatest
threats to seabird populations on islands. Feral cats are directly responsible
for a number of extinctions and extirpations on islands across multiple taxa.
The U.S. Navy has funded limited feral cat removal on San Nicolas Island in the
past to protect threatened and endangered species and sensitive seabird
colonies. This action includes expanding these efforts with the goal of
completely removing feral cats from the island.
The successful removal of feral cats from the island will benefit nesting
seabirds, the State-threatened San Nicolas Island fox, the federally threatened
island night lizard, and the federally threatened western snowy plover.
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Project Updates
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In 2008 and 2009, MSRP and other project partners worked closely with The
Humane Society of the United States (The HSUS) in the planning of this project. Find out more.
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From November 2008-January 2009, the project partners and The HSUS tested
various trapping methods and the feasibility of removing the feral cats from
the island.
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In late June 2009, the project officially began.
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From June-December 2009, 52 cats and 10 kittens were transferred to The HSUS
and relocated to a feral cat sanctuary at The Fund for Animals Wildlife Center
in Ramona, California. The cats will live out the remainder of their lives at
the sanctuary and the kittens will be adopted.
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In 2010, efforts will continue to remove the remaining feral cats from the
island.
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