U.S. to air drop poisoned mice in Guam to battle snake problem

[chaseter]

Millions ain't making a dent in trillions so what the hell, why not.

That's the attitude that got us here in the first place. Our own Everglades has a snake problem but lets worry about Guam.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Why is Florida any more important than Guam?

I mean besides it being the state every politician panders to.

 

[James]

Are snakes the only creatures is Guam that eat mice?

Just curious, I'm sure they've thought this through.

 

[Hotwire]

As someone who's been to Guam, there are NO birds. None. The brown tree snake has either eaten them or chased them off. I will be nice to see some birds on an otherwise beautiful island.

That's the attitude that got us here in the first place. Our own Everglades has a snake problem but lets worry about Guam.

The snake problem in Guam has cost them ALL their birds. I think that puts them just a little higher on the totem pole.

 

[Doctor Evo]

I've read about this being done a lot in the past. It seems to go bad when the introduced species breeds quickly and throws off the balance of the local ecosystem.

...did you read the article?

 

[Holiday]

That's the attitude that got us here in the first place. Our own Everglades has a snake problem but lets worry about Guam.

I don't mean to say I agree with this type of spending necessarily, just that our nations' debt is so ridiculous that to complain about a waste of millions is silly at this point.

It's like a husband telling his wife to put down the pack of gum, their family is 500,000 over budget for the month and they need to cut spending.

 

[chaseter]

The snake problem in Guam has cost them ALL their birds. I think that puts them just a little higher on the totem pole.

I don't give a **** about birds when people die of hunger or preventable diseases every single day in this country. Now what were you saying about totem poles and birds?

We have to quit doing this kind of ****. Sorry but our economy is going to collapse sooner or later. When we have budget surpluses, then send all the poison mice you want with tiny little parachutes. Let Guam handle their own snake problem.

 

[chaseter]

I don't mean to say I agree with this type of spending necessarily, just that our nations' debt is so ridiculous that to complain about a waste of millions is silly at this point.

It's like a husband telling his wife to put down the pack of gum, their family is 500,000 over budget for the month and they need to cut spending.

But it has to start somewhere. I know it won't but when we are running around Mad Max style then at least I will feel assured that I said spending millions parachuting in poison mice to kill snakes in another country was a dumb ass idea to spend money on. Oh well. I guess I should say "COOOL! NEATO!" as gas is pushing $4 again, we have 8% unemployment, food prices have skyrocketed due to the droughts, and medical costs are going to shoot up because of "Health Care Reform". But dem MIIIIIIIIIICE

 

[Holiday]

So if the government didn't go through with this operation to save that money, you would have seen it as step in the right direction?

I think that speaks to how hard it is to grasp how much a trillion dollars is.

Also, lol at 8% unemployment.

 

[bullets]

I can't really speak for the unemployment rate, but I know it's been bad for the last few years. However the gas prices are getting ridiculous.

 

[Holiday]

I laugh because 8% is too low. Another government lie.

 

[bullets]

I laugh because 8% is too low. Another government lie.

I know people with jobs who may as well be unemployed.

 

[Pink Ranger]

This debate is kind of silly, but think about it this way:

- Those mice had to be purchased from a laboratory or a breeder that supplies laboratories. Those labs or breeders employ people.
- The "poisoning" of the mice had to be done by people, who are paid for their work, so it positively impacts their employment.
- The guys piloting the plane are also employees too. They get work, albeit unusual, work from this.

And for all the people who say this is a useless exercise, if this innovative project works, they will know it works on a smaller scale and can re-deploy it in, say, Hawaii or Florida one day.

 

[KevanG]

When I first read the title I thought it said " U.S. to air drop poisoned snakes in Guam to battle mice problem"

I was a tad confused.

 

[terry78]

When I first read the title I thought it said " U.S. to air drop poisoned snakes in Guam to battle mice problem"

I was a tad confused.

We're saving the poisoned snakes for you guys.

 

[Hotwire]

I don't give a **** about birds when people die of hunger or preventable diseases every single day in this country. Now what were you saying about totem poles and birds?

We have to quit doing this kind of ****. Sorry but our economy is going to collapse sooner or later. When we have budget surpluses, then send all the poison mice you want with tiny little parachutes. Let Guam handle their own snake problem.

Well, I was responding to your comments about putting the everglades above Guam's snake problem. For the record, these snakes are EVERYWHERE. People find them in their homes, in their cars, they've even been found on airplanes! The snake has no predators so it's overrunning the tiny island.

As for Guam handling their own snake problem, that's what they're doing. They're just doing it with help from the federal government they belong to. It's not like Guam is some foreign country. Wait, you do know Guam is a U.S. territory, right?

 

[Doctor Evo]

And for all the people who say this is a useless exercise, if this innovative project works, they will know it works on a smaller scale and can re-deploy it in, say, Hawaii or Florida one day.

I'm not so sure about this part. Guam's situation may be relatively unique, primarily because there's (presumably) nothing else on the island that will eat these mice. Also, I'm given to understand that these snakes are unusual in that they'll eat dead mice, which allows us to avoid a whole host of ecological problems.

 

[Doctor Evo]

Well, I was responding to your comments about putting the everglades above Guam's snake problem. For the record, these snakes are EVERYWHERE. People find them in their homes, in their cars, they've even been found on airplanes! The snake has no predators so it's overrunning the tiny island.

As for Guam handling their own snake problem, that's what they're doing. They're just doing it with help from the federal government they belong to. It's not like Guam is some foreign country. Wait, you do know Guam is a U.S. territory, right?

I was sort of wondering the same thing.

 

[Asteroid-Man]

The Simpsons did this in that one episode, that's where I saw this before. I was trying to think. With the pigeons and the lizards.

Haha, yeah. Bolivian Tree Lizards at the pigeons, then they were gonna bring in Chinese Needle Snakes to eat the lizards, and then Snake Eating Gorillas to eat the snakes. "Then when winter time rolls around, the Gorillas simply freeze to death."

There was also an episode where Homer was on the replacement TV show (replacing the Octoplets show) with Cobras, and then they send in mongoose to kill them and protect homer, but they just end up attacking Homer.
Found the mongoose video:
[YT]3O8t2w8YWT4[/YT]

 

[Baramos]

I've read about this being done a lot in the past. It seems to go bad when the introduced species breeds quickly and throws off the balance of the local ecosystem.

See: gypsy moths, Japanese beetles, emerald ash borers, Asian carp, etc.

It's probably a bad idea unless they have specifically bred mice native to that region or something...

 

[Hotwire]

See: gypsy moths, Japanese beetles, emerald ash borers, Asian carp, etc.

It's probably a bad idea unless they have specifically bred mice native to that region or something...

There's nothing else there that will eat the mice. The snakes are the top of the wild animal food chain.

 

[Pink Ranger]

There wouldn't be a snake overpopulation if the US government had simply stopped their policy of discouraging homosexuality in the reptile community. "Don't Hiss, Don't Tell" was a public policy disaster from day one.

 

[Doctor Evo]

There's nothing else there that will eat the mice. The snakes are the top of the wild animal food chain.

I think their point has more to do with the idea that these mice will breed uncontrollably and thus create ecological instability.

Of course, it's evident that neither of them read the article. These mice are going to have a really, REALLY hard time reproducing.

 

[KevanG]

We're saving the poisoned snakes for you guys.

Yaaaay!

 

[Spidey-Bat]