# Member Forums > Herp Science News/Herp News >  What could possibly go wrong?

## swansonbb

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2...us-snakes?lite

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## Rob

Lol Seriously?

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## BoostedMX3

That's thinking outside the box..

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## KMG

Dead mice hanging in trees. Now that's a party!

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## Don

This is the second time (in two years) that they have done it.  It is quite ingenious.  The mice are laced with Acetaminophen, which is really just Tylenol.  It is harmless to humans but will kill the snakes, who are very sensitive to it.

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_swansonbb_ (02-22-2013)

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## swansonbb

> This is the second time (in two years) that they have done it.  It is quite ingenious.  The mice are laced with Acetaminophen, which is really just Tylenol.  It is harmless to humans but will kill the snakes, who are very sensitive to it.


Any idea how effective it was the 1st time?

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## Rob

> Any idea how effective it was the 1st time?


Apparently not effective enough  :Wink:

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## Don

If you have read anything about the brown tree snake in Guam, it is a serious problem that one, two or even a dozen drops of poisoned mice isn't going to fix.  It is going to take years of sustained effort to manage the population.  I believe the goal now is not to eradicate them, because that would be too difficult, but to keep them from migrating to Hawaii.

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## Annarose15

How does acetaminophen affect birds and other creatures that eat mice? I know it can kill dogs. I got spammed too bad when I tried to click the link to actually read the news story (assuming there was more than a headline and picture).

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## swansonbb

> How does acetaminophen affect birds and other creatures that eat mice? I know it can kill dogs.


The article mentioned that the impact on birds will be minimal, as the brown tree snake has killed so many of them already.




> I got spammed too bad when I tried to click the link to actually read the news story (assuming there was more than a headline and picture).



From nbcnews.com?  Is your popup blocker enabled?

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## Annarose15

> The article mentioned that the impact on birds will be minimal, as the brown tree snake has killed so many of them already.
> 
> From nbcnews.com?  Is your popup blocker enabled?


It's probably a firewall conflict here at work. I think the logic sounds kind of silly that they aren't worried about killing more of the already decimated bird population. That's like the logic that allows scientists to kill and dissect previously-thought extinct creatures to learn more about them (see the story about a spider that stopped the building of a highway, I think in Texas).

Found it: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...n_1871414.html

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_sorraia_ (02-22-2013)

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## swansonbb

> It's probably a firewall conflict here at work. I think the logic sounds kind of silly that they aren't worried about killing more of the already decimated bird population. That's like the logic that allows scientists to kill and dissect previously-thought extinct creatures to learn more about them (see the story about a spider that stopped the building of a highway, I think in Texas).
> 
> Found it: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...n_1871414.html


I don't think it's a fair comparison.  From the article:




> 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.
> 
> "One concern was that crows may eat mice with the toxicant," said William Pitt, of the U.S. National Wildlife Research Center's Hawaii Field Station. "However, there are no longer wild crows on Guam."


The brown tree snake has devastated several species to the point that the battle (for those species) is over.  Perhaps the baited mice will help keep the snake from moving on to another species.  And remember, Hawaii is the next big concern.  Sometimes containment, despite any possible additional side effects, is the best solution on a macro perspective.

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_Annarose15_ (02-22-2013)

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## Annarose15

> I don't think it's a fair comparison. The brown tree snake has devastated several species to the point that the battle (for those species) is over.  Perhaps the baited mice will help keep the snake from moving on to another species.  And remember, Hawaii is the next big concern.  Sometimes containment, despite any possible additional side effects, is the best solution on a macro perspective.


I can see your point. I would hope (and dare assume) that the scientists involved have taken a deep look at the ripple effect of these efforts. It's just a question I would absolutely ask in their shoes (and sounds like they did and weighed the risks).

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_swansonbb_ (02-22-2013)

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## mechnut450

lol  pay me I will go around and caught the snakes lol  I got nothing better to do right now lol..

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## sorraia

I don't know enough about the situation on Guam, but thinking about it makes me cringe. However if the article is accurate in saying the species of greatest concern are already wiped out... it might just be worth it.

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