Rodents are the leading mammalian pest species in the world, causing management issues everywhere. Recently, Rodent pests and thier control, Second Edition was published to look at how we are progressing with managing our ratty problem. It’s been 20 years since the first edition was published and much has changed in that time. James Ross, Department of Ecology, Lincoln University, has co-authored a chapter on rats and islands. New Zealand wildlife managers have been very successful in removing rats off increasingly larger islands. James talks to Adrian Paterson about how this success has been achieved with new technologies and hard work, clever ideas that will help in the future, and about how his role as a wildlife researcher came about. The interview is 19 minutes long.