After decades of infestation that wreaked havoc on a state seabird sanctuary, tiny Lehua Island appears to be rat-free. Taking credit for the eradication is a program launched in 2017 by state and federal agencies in tandem with other partners that involved dropping bait pellets containing the rodenticide diphacinone on the crescent-shaped island off Kauai’s west shore.

While the bait eventually knocked out the vermin, officials said there were no negative impacts on the surrounding waters or other wildlife.

Let’s hope that some 17 seabird species there, including the threatened Laysan albatross, will thrive in their refreshed ecosystem.