US Government Bombs Guam With Dead Poisonous Mice to Wipe Out Snake Species
By JG Vibes
theintelhub.com
March 1, 2013
During World War 2 the US military created an ecological disaster in Guam by accidentally transporting a snake species that has reproduced exponentially and caused massive problems with the local wildlife and communities.
Naturally this would be of no concern to the US government in most cases, but they seem to be interested now because there have been reports that this infestation of snakes could make its way to Hawaii. To prevent this from happening the US government decided that they were going to essentially use the military to attack the snakes, just using unconventional methods of warfare.
“Dead mice laced with painkillers are set to rain down on Guam as scientists attempt to contain two million brown tree snakes which have caused havoc for more than 60 years. Most of Guam’s native bird species are extinct because of the snake, which reached the island’s thick jungles as stowaways on U.S. military ships coming from the South Pacific shortly after World War II.
There are fears that without action the species could spread to Hawaii, more than 3,000 miles away and cause a ‘snakes on a plane’ scenario. The strategy takes advantage of the snake’s two big weaknesses. Unlike most snakes, brown tree snakes are happy to eat prey they didn’t kill themselves, and they are highly vulnerable to acetaminophen, which is harmless to humans.
The upcoming mice drop is targeted to hit snakes near Guam’s sprawling Andersen Air Force Base, which is surrounded by heavy foliage and if compromised would offer the snakes a potential ticket off the island. Using helicopters, the dead neonatal mice will be dropped by hand, one by one. U.S. government scientists have been perfecting the mice-drop strategy for more than a decade with support from the Department of Defense and the Department of the Interior.
To keep the mice bait from dropping all the way to the ground, where it could be eaten by other animals or attract insects as they rot, researchers have developed a flotation device with streamers designed to catch in the branches of the forest foliage, where the snakes live and feed. Experts say the impact on other species will be minimal, particularly since the snakes have themselves wiped out the birds that might have been most at risk.”
There is no doubt that the snakes pose a threat to the local ecosystem and communities, but this plan seems very expensive, poorly thought out and will likely create a long list of unintended consequences. It was the US military that created this problem generations ago, and with how they operate you can expect the mess to get bigger every time they touch it.
That is not to say that this problem shouldn’t be solved,it just shouldn’t be left up to a government. There are plenty of independent organizations all over the world who would be able to work together and come up with a much safer and more effective plan.
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J.G. Vibes is the author of an 87 chapter counter-culture textbook called Alchemy of the Modern Renaissance, a staff writer, reporter for theintelhub.com and Executive Producer of the Bob Tuskin Radio Show.
You can keep up with his work, which includes free podcasts, free e-books & free audiobooks at his website www.aotmr.com
