A new way to prevent brown tree snakes from invading was unveiled yesterday by scientists working for the U.S. Department of the Interior's U.S. Geological Survey and Ohio State University. The island of Rota is the part of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands that lies nearest to Guam. The brown tree snake, an introduced species which arrived to Guam from the South Pacific in the late 1940s, has played a major role in the loss of many of the island's birds, lizards, and mammals. It has also caused frequent disruptions of electrical power, preyed on poultry, rabbits, and pets, and on occasion bitten infants when it invaded homes in search of food.
Scientists estimate there are over one million brown tree snakes on Guam.
Snakes can unwittingly be carried on ships and airplanes originating from or traveling through Guam. They can hide in cargo, airplane wheel-wells, and the vessels themselves. Snakes pose a serious threat to the wildlife and economy of Rota and other Pacific islands. Two arrivals of snakes have been recorded in Rota in the last ten years. No one can be sure how many went undetected.