Editing Kiritimati (section)

=== Feral cats ===
It may seem that the former numbers of seabirds may only ever be approached again by the wholesale eradication of the feral cats. While this has been since shown to be feasible,{{efn|e.g. on remote and rugged [[subantarctic]] [[Marion Island]] with {{convert|290|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} land area.}} it is not clear whether even a severe curtailing of the cat population would be desirable: Though it previously was assumed that the small Polynesian rat is of little, if any, harm to seabirds, even [[house mouse|house mice]] have been shown to eat seabird nestlings. Most nesting birds, in particularly [[Procellariiformes]], are now accepted to be jeopardised by ''Rattus exulans''. Kiritimati's cats meanwhile, are very fond of young seabirds; it even seems that their behaviour shifts accordingly, with cats being generally less [[Territory (animal)|territorial]], and congregating in numbers at active bird colonies; they generally eschew hunting rats when seabird chicks are in plenty.<ref name=teebaki1993/>

Possession of an unneutered female cat on Kiritimati is illegal, and owners need to prevent their domestic cats from running wild (such animals are usually quickly killed in traps set for this purpose). Nighttime cat hunting has made little effect on the cat population. As noted above, vigorous protection of active nesting grounds from cats by traps and poison, supplemented by shooting, while otherwise leaving them alone to hunt rats may well be the optimal solution.<ref name=teebaki1993/>

[[File:OperationGrappleXmasIslandHbomb.jpg|thumb|upright|8&nbsp;November 1957 {{nowrap|[[Grapple X]]}} Round&nbsp;C1 – the first successful British [[hydrogen bomb]] test – detonates over Kiritimati's South East Point.]]