New Zealand is about to conduct a country-wide pest extermination

New Zealand will attempt to rid itself of pests. — (Image credit: AFP/Getty Images)

If all goes according to plan, there won't be a single rat left in New Zealand come 2050. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key announced Monday that, as part of its "world-first" pest extermination program, the country will be spending millions over the next few decades to get rid of the rats, stoats, and possums threatening its native species, particularly birds such as the flightless Kiwi. The government plans to contribute an additional $20 million a year to the more than $40 million already being spent on pest control.

However, even with that cash investment and New Zealand's previous success with similar operations in its smaller islands, ecologists are skeptical that a full eradication can actually happen across a nation "similar in size to the United Kingdom," The Associated Press reported. "The biggest challenge will be the rats and mice in urban areas," said Mick Clout, a professor of conservation from the University of Auckland. "For this project to work it will need the urban communities to get on board."