Child’s campaign to save seabirds from invasive mice takes flight

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The department of forestry, fisheries and the environment and BirdLife South Africa (BLSA) have awarded a certificate of appreciation to an 11-year-old from Durban for his “sterling” fundraising efforts to protect seabirds on Marion Island from invasive house mice.

Romario Valentine’s Seabirds Christmas Gift for Marion Island campaign raised R20 530, more than double the R10 000 that the eco-warrior initially set out to raise, to help the conservation efforts of seabirds, including albatrosses, petrels and penguins on the island, “which all play a vital role in the marine ecosystem”, he said.

The donations streamed in from 36 individual donors in just five weeks since the campaign opened in late November, according to the Mouse-Free Marion Project. The nonprofit is a partnership between the department and BirdLife South Africa, which is working to eradicate the island’s unwelcome visitors: albatross-killing mice.  

Unwelcome visitors

Located in the southern Indian Ocean, between South Africa and Antarctica, the oceanic outpost of Marion Island is home to about two million individual seabirds representing 28 species, many of which are being pushed to extinction, according to the project.

House mice, which were inadvertently introduced to the island by sealers in the early 19th century, “have been inflicting devastating impacts” on the ecology of the island, including killing its native seabirds. These mice attack seabirds and eat their chicks.

By 2025, the “urgent and ambitious” conservation project aims to eradicate the mice from the island. This is to “prevent the deaths of millions of seabirds” and help to secure the future for the iconic wandering albatross, and the many other seabirds that call the island home. The project, too, seeks to improve the island’s resilience to a warming climate.  

‘Inspirational’

Romario’s mother, Delsha Moodley, created his latest campaign on BackaBuddy. The sum that her son has raised contributes to the project’s goal to raise R30 million of the funds needed through hectare sponsorship, with its target set at 30 000 hectares. 

A donation of R1 000 equals one hectare, and Romario, through his campaign has managed to sponsor 20ha. “The monies raised will go towards the Mouse-Free Marion project, where they will drop bait for the mice, which will kill the mice,” said Moodley. “It is a huge undertaking and they will need as much financial support as they can get.”

So far, Romario has raised R77 169 for his overall bird conservation campaigns on BackABuddy since his first fundraiser in 2020. In September last year he received an Owlet Award from BirdLife South Africa. To date, he has done over 250 beach clean-ups and planted and sponsored over 455 trees in 31 countries around the world. 

“As a family we are honoured to have such a humble, inspirational and benevolent child, like Romario,” said Moodley. “He has continuously shown leadership qualities from a tender age when it comes to protecting his feathered friends and their habitats. We are grateful to everyone who has supported him on his environmental journey.”