Laced with poison, the dead mice are to help curb the large numbers of brown tree snakes in the region.
More than two million of the snakes have been wreaking havoc upon other wildlife across Guam, prompting scientists to come up with a radical new method to combat them. By lacing dead mice with poison and then dropping them from a helicopter with little parachutes it is hoped that they will get tangled up in the foliage making it easy for the snakes to come and feed on them. The poisoned mice are not thought to be a danger to other animals.
Brown tree snakes originally invaded Guam 60 years ago after reaching the country on boats and in the undercarriage of airplanes. Now the snakes have eaten most of the birds on the island leading to an explosion in spider numbers and significant damage to the region's forests and natural ecosystem.
"In April or May they're going to lace dead mice with painkillers, attach them to little parachutes, drop them from helicopters and hope that they get snagged in the jungle foliage."
View: Full article | Source: NPR
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