Indonesia Releases Snakes to Fight Rats

[Lisa]

from http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-indonesia-rats,0,4645553.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines

Indonesia Releases Snakes to Fight Rats

By Associated Press

November 7, 2003, 8:20 AM EST


JAKARTA, Indonesia -- After poison didn't work, officials on Indonesia's Java island have released dozens of snakes to fight a plague of rats eating into the rice crop, a newspaper reported Friday.

Authorities near to the tourist town of Yogyakarta have let loose the snakes, mostly pythons, because rat poison didn't stop the large depletion of the crop in recent years, The Jakarta Post reported.

"We hope that the release of the snakes can provide a breakthrough with the rat problem," farmer Suryadi, who goes by a single name, was quoted as saying.

The snakes include the reticulated python, which feeds on small mammals and can grow up to 25 feet in length.
Copyright © 2003, The Associated Press

[Neo]

i hope that rat poison doesnt get transfered to the snakes...

[KrokadilyanGuy3]

Geez, wonder why I keep thinking about cane toads and the brown tree snakes among some other introduced animals either on purpose or by accident..
Xain

[Scales Zoo]

I think retics live in Jakarta, maybe they just took some snakes to some problem areas of Jakarta?

Ryan

[Lisa]

Update from http://www.brunei-online.com/bb/thu/nov6w10.htm

Save our snakes say farmers

JAKARTA (AFP) - Indonesian villagers who have released snakes in their ricefields to hunt hungry rats are now worried about human predators hunting the serpents.
Anyone found catching or killing the snakes will face a fine of 750,000 rupiah (88 US dollars), warned farmers' group leader Yulius Sumardi.

The reptiles were released after rats ruined three harvests in ricefields covering 64 hectares (158 acres) at Sidoluhur in Yogyakarta, the Antara news agency reported Wednesday. "Hopefully, the release of the snakes will reduce the rat population and enable farmers to harvest again," it quoted Sumardi as saying.