Hawaii once considered releasing cats to kill invasive rats on an island; scientists rejected the idea because the cats would attack native birds too

Lehua Island, a 284-acre seabird sanctuary off the northern shore of Niʻihau, faced a conservation problem that had no simple solution.

Invasive Pacific rats had established themselves on the island, threatening seabirds and native vegetation and undermining efforts to restore Lehua as a safe haven for wildlife.

A 2017 environmental assessment for the Lehua Island Ecosystem Restoration Project examined how the rats could be removed while limiting further damage to the island’s fragile ecosystem.

The assessment, prepared for Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources, also highlighted the danger posed by other predators, including cats.

Rather than introducing another predator to hunt the rats, the proposed restoration strategy focused on eradicating them directly.