Invasive Predators in New Zealand

The story of invasive species in New Zealand is unlike any other in the world. By the mid-thirteenth century, the main islands of the country were the last large landmasses on Earth to remain uninhabited by humans, or any other land mammals. New Zealand's endemic fauna evolved in isolation until first Polynesians, and then Europeans, arrived with a host of companion animals such as rats and cats in tow. Well-equipped with teeth and claws, these small furry mammals, along with the later arrival of stoats and ferrets, have devastated the fragile populations of unique birds, lizards and insects. Carolyn M. King brings together the necessary historical analysis and recent ecological research to understand this long, slow tragedy. As a comprehensive historical perspective on the fate of an iconic endemic fauna, this book offers much-needed insight into one of New Zealand's longest-running national crises.

I. The Years before Cook. - 1. Introduction (82 million years ago to AD 1280). - 2. The M ori Era (1280 1769). - II. The Years of Accidental Invasions. - 3. Reconstructing Invasion Histories from European Shipping Records (1769 1900) and Genetics (since 2000). - 4. European Rats (1769). - 5. House Mice (since about 1792). - 6. Cats (1769 1900). - III. The Years of Deliberate Introductions. - 7. Rabbits (1858 1900). - 8. Ferrets (1852 1892). - 9. Stoats and Weasels (1876 1883). - 10. Stoats and Weasels (1883 1892). - 11. Lucky Escapes and Nasty Surprises (1884 1920). - IV. What Now? . - 12. Hard Lessons in Pest Management (1976 2019).