US to drop toxic mice on Guam snakes

[News Bot]

THE loaded mice are scientists' prescription for a headache that has caused the tiny US territory misery for more than 60 years: the brown tree snake.

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Published On: 22-Feb-13 05:12 PM
Source: via NEWS.com.au

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[Mitella]

i heard this was happening, but over 3mtrs bts?

 

[treeofgreen]

ahhh is it just me, or is purposefully baiting an entire rainforest with drug laced mice really that smart?

 

[Renenet]

If the snakes have eaten most of the birds, and there are potentially two million of them on the island, what are they eating now? Other food sources? Each other? At some point you'd think they'd run out of food.

Hope this mouse idea works, though.

 

[Bananapeel]

Yeah but hopefully it doesn't harm other animals in the process. :O

 

[chevalier25]

Toxic mice... sounds very similar to Cane Toad...

 

[Emilie]

Toxic mice... sounds very similar to Cane Toad...

The major diff here is off course that these mice are dead and will not reproduce

 

[Renenet]

The mice are dead, so not really all that similar to the cane toad. Unlike some US operations, however, I do hope that there are no "civillian" casualties. Guam's ecosystem sounds like it's shot to hell because of these snakes, so on balance maybe the risk is worth taking.

It seems like a very local strategy anyway, so if something goes awry it won't affect the entire island. I think the concern is that one of these snakes will hitch a ride to an unaffected island (like Hawaii) and wreak havoc there, thus why they are targetting the area around the airforce base.

I do hope the snakes don't suffer much from acetaminophen.

 

[Renenet]

This seems to be a more complete version of the article: Guam's Brown Tree Snake Problem To Be Solved With Toxic Mice, Officials Hope

It describes how they will attach the mice to flotation devices which will tangle in the trees - prime BTS habitat - preventing them from dropping to the ground where other animals might find them.

 

[SteveNT]

Sounds like they have a major export industry to the pet trade sitting there. Not to Oz obviously but there are plenty of unregulated markets they could supply. Or maybe a food item? Hard to believe there is no value in a few million snakes.

 

[Renenet]

I wonder if they could do anything with the skins.

 

[kr0nick]

ahhh is it just me, or is purposefully baiting an entire rainforest with drug laced mice really that smart?

Remember TOG we are talking about Americans...

 

[Justdragons]

I agree with steve.

 

[mcbuggsy]

I've been there... (in the mid 1990's) They are bl00dy big (some of them) and are everywhere.....Maybe that's why I am not fussed on them as pets. They do have a very ugly head...(like me) Total eradication appears not to be an option, only some control of the numbers.. Rat and mouse problems are a thing of the past there now.