Poisoned Mice dropped in Guam to kill snakes.

[franks]

Two thousand mice dropped on Guam by parachute — to kill snakes - U.S. News

Crazy article. I have previously read alot about brown tree snakes being invasive, but this action seems so reckless.

[sharthun]

Originally Posted by franks

Two thousand mice dropped on Guam by parachute — to kill snakes - U.S. News

Crazy article. I have previously read alot about brown tree snakes being invasive, but this action seems so reckless.

I agree!!!!!

[formica]

i did a little bit of reading on this, there are no other snakes on the island to eat the mice, and none of the other predators/scavengers have such a low tolerance of acetaminophen, that it would do them any harm if they ate the mice.

the only other reptile which might come into contact with the mice are Varanus indicus, I have no idea what their tolerance of paracetamol is? the rest are small lizards/geckos/skinks

At least they have found something which is relevantly harmless to most of the animals on the island, delivered in a way which is not going cause it to leach into the environment in such a way that would cause significant problems. But I really hope that V indicus is safe from it, and that they have checked if that is the case!

The snake is responsible for the suspected extinction of at least 5 species of bird in Guam, and the decline and potential extinction of many others.

Extinctions and Loss of Species from Guam: Birds


that said, I dont think that this will actually deal with the problem in any significant way!

[drumcrush]

Originally Posted by formica

i did a little bit of reading on this, there are no other snakes on the island to eat the mice, and none of the other predators/scavengers have such a low tolerance of acetaminophen, that it would do them any harm if they ate the mice.

the only other reptile which might come into contact with the mice are Varanus indicus, I have no idea what their tolerance of paracetamol is? the rest are small lizards/geckos/skinks

At least they have found something which is relevantly harmless to most of the animals on the island, delivered in a way which is not going cause it to leach into the environment in such a way that would cause significant problems. But I really hope that V indicus is safe from it, and that they have checked if that is the case!

The snake is responsible for the suspected extinction of at least 5 species of bird in Guam, and the decline and potential extinction of many others.

Extinctions and Loss of Species from Guam: Birds


that said, I dont think that this will actually deal with the problem in any significant way!

Waste of money on their end then?

[formica]

Originally Posted by drumcrush

Waste of money on their end then?

time will tell; they need to kill enough to tip the balance, but if the species became established with just a few individuals stowing on ships, i think the odds are stacked in favor of the snakes

I dread to think what they might try next

[infernalis]

Originally Posted by formica

time will tell; they need to kill enough to tip the balance, but if the species became established with just a few individuals stowing on ships, i think the odds are stacked in favor of the snakes

I dread to think what they might try next

I concur wholly....

[sharthun]

Mutated snakes!!!

[charlesc84]

This just seems like a bad idea.

[wrecker45]

Wild snakes only eat live prey or am i wrong.

[warehouse13fan]

Originally Posted by wrecker45

Wild snakes only eat live prey or am i wrong.

ive seen wild snakes crawl up to dead lizards and eat them. and over time wouldnt the snakes develop an immunity to the poision after so long of consuming it?

[formica]

they have been doing this since at least 2010

Drug-filled Mice Airdropped Over Guam to Kill Snakes

[guidofatherof5]

Here's a great book about the impact of the brown tree snake on the ecology of Guam. Well worth the read.

And No Birds Sing: The Story of an Ecological Disaster in a Tropical Paradise: Mark Jaffe: 9780671751074: Amazon.com: Books

[LiL Zap]

I doubt this will work.