Snakes versus toxic mice in Guam (VIDEO)

GlobalPost

Guam wildlife officials are planning an airdrop of toxic mice to control the snake population on the island.

The dead baby mice will be bombed into the island to battle the Brown tree snake that is considered an invasive species.

The mice will contain acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, that is toxic to the snakes but harmless to humans, said NPR.

They will also be wrapped in string designed to hook the trees where the snakes live and eat.

The snakes were brought to the island aboard US military boats during World War II.

They are blamed for wiping out the native bird population of Guam.

"Guam is a very unique situation," William Pitt, a wildlife biologist at the National Wildlife Research Center in Hawaii told Reuters.

"There is no other place in the world that has a snake issue like Guam."

There are now worries that the snakes could reach other Pacific Islands aboard boats and airplanes.

The project to airdrop the mice will begin in April and will drop about 2000 mice, said the Associated Press.

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