Parachuting Mice

The island of Guam, the U.S. territory situated out there in the Pacific Ocean, has a problem with brown tree snakes. You probably know that already.

And, those nasty snakes have been munching away on forest bird eggs, causing the island’s avian population to plummet into oblivion. You probably already knew that as well.

The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture has been trying to fight this accidental serpentine invasion for more than a half century. You may not have known that.

Recently, DOA has been trying something quite innovative. And THIS I’m sure you haven’t heard of.

Take a bunch of dead mice, stuff them with acetaminophen (generic Tylenol) , and parachute them down where the brown snake populations are quite large. Hopefully, the “mouse-tacular” tidbits will get caught in trees where the snakes proliferate, and provide a tasty lunch for the slithering buggers.

The concoction kills the snakes, and apparently, it’s working. A pilot study using radio-transmitters in some of the mice shows the snakes are starting to take the bait.

Using “Tylenol-like” to fight the snake headache. Now THAT’S using one’s noggin.

I kid you not!