A swarm of rats has taken over Takeshima? South Korean authorities begin formulating ”appropriate management plan”

The number of house mice (Rattus norvegicus) on Takeshima (Dokdo, Korea) has increased dramatically, and the Korean authorities have begun to formulate a management plan.
The Daegu Regional Environment Office announced on the 3rd of this month that it plans to prepare a report on the harmful species of rats in Dokdo's ecosystem by May of next year after identifying the habitat of the rats and preparing methods for their extermination and management, as well as measures to prevent further inflows.
The "House Mouse Management Project" research service was announced as an urgent requirement.
House mice were first spotted on the island in 2010. At the time, the body of a house mouse was discovered on a beach on Nishijima, and house mice have been spotted on the island since 2015.
The route of entry has not been confirmed, but it is presumed to have come from ships visiting Takeshima. The Daegu Regional Environment Agency wrote in the emergency tender reasons that "Dokdo's location makes it difficult to enter the island in winter, and it is difficult to monitor the ecosystem.
"Efforts are needed to smoothly advance the cleaning and pest species removal projects," he said, adding, "Dokdo's house mice have no specific natural predators in the area, and their population density is on the rise, which could have a negative impact on certain ecosystems.
"Since the rat population is highly susceptible to the disease, management that is suited to the local conditions is required," he explained. The number of house mice on Takeshima has never been clearly confirmed, but it is estimated to be between 100 and 150 as of 2021.
Recently, more and more house mice have been captured by unmanned sensor cameras. A total of 716 house mice were captured in 29,410 unmanned camera images taken between May and October last year.
The only mammals living on Takeshima are dogs raised by the Dokdo patrol and one seal caught on the East Island. It is believed that there are no natural predators for the house mice, whose population is estimated to have multiplied to several hundred.
South Korean authorities are concerned that house mice could disrupt and threaten the ecosystem of Takeshima by feeding on sea swallows, rice, plants and other indigenous species, as well as digging holes.
The purpose of the study is to consider △the current habitat status of house mice, △extermination methods for each habitat, △proposals for disposing of the waste bodies, and △management methods suited to the characteristics of the island region.