Oct 2, 2010

Can dead mice rid Guam of the brown tree snake?

Military news outlet publication Stars and Stripes reports that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is bombing Guam with dead mice in an effort to rid the island of the pesky brown tree snake.

Using Naval Base Guam as a starting point, scientists drop mice packed with acetaminophen from helicopters into the jungle canopy.

The drug -- commonly found in Tylenol -- provided a regulatory advantage because it had already undergone extensive testing, Dan Vice, assistant state director of USDA Wildlife Services in Hawaii, Guam and the Pacific Islands.

The snakes were accidentally introduced on the island - which has no native snakes - by military cargo planes.

Although this snake is classed as venomous it is not considered dangerous to adult humans. The snakes are nocturnal and can become quite aggressive when confronted.

The brown tree snake can grow up to 10 feet long and is the leading cause of endangerment for many of Guam’s native birds and other wildlife.

Link here and here.