A rare thing.

A Rare Thing

Tropical islands have long been classic examples of environmental abuse, because they easily fall victim to the introduction of alien fauna, notably rats, goats, and rabbits, by passing ships. Little 350-acre Round Island, off the northeast coast of Mauritius in the South Indian Ocean, has been rescued from this fate and is becoming once again that rare thing, a tropical island with native fauna and flora only. Rabbits and goats were painstakingly removed from Round Island over the last few years, and it is one of the few such places that never knew the degrading influence of rats. Right now, Round Island is able to support the last remaining example of the Mauritius palm savannah, now extinct on the far bigger island of Mauritius itself. It is also a haven for eight species of native reptile, including boa snakes that are found nowhere else. It is an important breeding ground for four seabirds, including the extremely rare Round Island petrel. All told, Round Island harbors more threatened plant and animal forms than any comparable space on the face of the globe.