As aid, equipment, and building materials move between Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, the Guam Department of Agriculture is warning that one hidden stowaway could create a much bigger problem: the brown tree snake.
According to the Pacific Daily News, the Guam Department of Agriculture wants cargo, vehicles, and vessels leaving Guam to be checked both before departure and again once they reach the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Officials said the checks cost nothing and help keep the invasive snake from reaching other islands.
Here's what to know
Super Typhoon Bavi heavily damaged Rota, and the department said more people may now be traveling from Guam to the CNMI to help with repairs and emergency response.
That travel could carry aircraft, cargo, vehicles, and vessels through loading areas where the snakes tend to hide.
Rolled metal sheeting, stacked plywood or boards, PVC pipes, pallets, loose boxes, and packed containers all give a snake plenty of tight, hidden spots to slip into. For that reason, the department wants anything that has been parked or stored on Guam checked before it heads out.
TCD Picks » Quince Spotlight
💡These best-sellers from Quince deliver affordable, sustainable luxury for all
Sealing cargo doesn't skip that step. Everything inside a container has to be checked first, and opening the container again means a new inspection is needed.
Guam offers these inspections around the clock through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services, free of charge.
More background
The department is also asking residents to keep an eye out for snakes in Guam loading areas and departure points, along with matching locations across the CNMI.
What can be done?
For shipments headed into the islands, it helps to set up an inspection early. The CNMI Department of Fish and Wildlife handles those bookings and needs time to line up staff and equipment before cargo arrives.
The department asked anyone who spots a snake in a cargo area or port to say where they saw it, describe what it looked like, and note how it was behaving.
If it is safe, people should try to trap, kill, or catch the snake, snap a photo if they can, and keep watching it until a response team shows up.
The Guam phone numbers, (671) 685-2571 and (671) 685-8992, are for sightings limited to cargo staging areas or ports of departure and are staffed around the clock. In the CNMI, call (670) 28-SNAKE or (670) 287-6253. Guam's BTS Rapid Response Team can also be reached from any island at (671) 777-HISS.
The department said recovery efforts across the CNMI depend on everyone pitching in to stop brown tree snakes from hitching a ride off Guam.
Where can I learn more?
For more on the threat, these stories look at brown tree snake interdiction on Guam, local capture efforts, and other island warnings about invasive snakes.
• On Guam, brown tree snake prevention crews are struggling to keep interdiction programs running.
• In Guam, volunteers trained to catch invasive brown tree snakes and removed 20 after dark.
• In Guam, 125 residents hunted the invasive snake blamed for bird losses and blackouts.
• In Florida, scientists uncovered critical new data that could improve Burmese python eradication efforts.
• On the Balearic Islands, officials have warned that a dangerous threat to local island ecosystems is spreading.
Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
