The Scottish island of Uri Geller is finally rid of the lone rat
Famous spoon bender Uri Geller has praised a group of kayakers for finally ridding his Scottish island of a lone rat after spending a year tracking it down.
The self-proclaimed British-Israeli psychic bought Lamb Island in the Firth of Forth in 2009 for £30,000 after being convinced it housed treasure buried by the pharaoh Tutankhamun’s half-sister Scota.
Lamb Island is one of three rocky outcrops that mirror the layout of the pyramids at Giza, near Cairo – and Geller believes in a legend that points to the exiled Egyptian princess as having hidden treasure there.
When a rat was detected there by conservationists in November 2020, it was decided action needed to be taken as the rodents pose a threat to nesting birds, including puffins and cormorants.
But rather than calling on Geller, 75, to use his special skills to track down the invading predator, another team took up the challenge – volunteers from the Lothian Sea Kayak Club, with expert support from the Scottish Seabird Center at North Berwick.
Famous spoon bender Uri Geller has praised a group of kayakers for ridding his Scottish island of a lone rat after spending a year tracking it down. The self-proclaimed psychic bought Lamb Island, in the Firth of Forth, in 2009 after being convinced it housed treasure buried by Pharaoh Tutankhamun’s half-sister Scota. (Above, Geller on the island in 2010)
Volunteers from the Lothian Sea Kayak Club, with expert support from the Scottish Seabird Center in North Berwick, managed to track the lone rat (above) – which was captured by a motion-triggered camera
Above, the Lothian Sea Kayak Club. They set a number of rat traps containing poisoned food. The vermin then nibbled on some of it, hasn’t been seen since December and is missing presumed dead
Access to the landing on the uninhabited island is difficult for large boats, so the kayak team was ideal for the mission.
The team made 35 trips and used motion-triggered cameras to establish that only one rat was present.
They set a number of rat traps containing poisoned food. The vermin then nibbled on some of it, has not been seen since December, and is missing presumed dead.
“I was amazed when I saw the infrared image of the rat. My island is not that small, so locating a rat is a big achievement. Thank you very much, a big hug and good positive energy from me for them,’ Geller told BBC Scotland.
Lamb Island is one of three rocky outcrops that mirror the layout of the pyramids at Giza, near Cairo – and Geller believes in a legend that says the exiled Egyptian princess hid treasure there.
It’s unclear how the rat got to the island in the first place.
One possibility is that he swam a short distance from the mainland – or that he may have been thrown overboard after stowing away on a boat.
Emily Burton, conservation manager at the Scottish Seabird Centre, told The Times: ‘[The poison] took so long to work because rats are neophobic – they are naturally afraid of new things.
“He avoided these tempting treats for months, but eventually we saw that blocks of rodenticide had been chewed through and washed away.”
Geller, who lives in Israel with his wife, rose to fame in the 1970s with an act based on his apparent psychic powers and telepathic skills, which were even tested by the CIA.
Speaking to urigeller.com about his love for Lamb Island, the illusionist said: ‘The connection has been known for centuries.
“You can read about it in a 15th century manuscript called the Scotichronicon, by the Abbot of Inchcolm, Walter Bower.
“This island has connections not only to the pyramids, but also to King Arthur, King Robert the Bruce and the ancient kings of Ireland.
“It may sound off-putting, and it certainly is uninhabitable, but it’s also one of the keystones of British mythology, and I’m delighted to own it.”
Geller, who lives in Israel with his wife, rose to fame in the 1970s with an act based on his apparent psychic powers and telepathic skills, which were even tested by the CIA.
He is best known for his spoon bending trick.
Among the many spoons in his collection, some have belonged to famous people, including Napoleon, John F. Kennedy, Elvis Presley, the Dalai Lama and Gandhi.