In this Nov. 11, 2012 photo released by Galapagos National Park, park staff test equipment that will hold poisonous bait to kill rats on the Galapagos Islands, as they stand on Baltra

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In this Nov. 11, 2012 photo released by Galapagos National Park, park staff test equipment that will hold poisonous bait to kill rats on the Galapagos Islands, as they stand on Baltra Island. To preserve the unique birds, reptiles and native plants that make the Galapagos Islands such an ecological treasure, authorities will start on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012 phase II of a mass kill-off of black and Norway rats, an invasive species introduced to the Pacific Ocean islands by whalers and buccaneers beginning in the 17 century. (AP Photo/Galapagos National Park) less