In Puerto Rico's Maricao State Forest, frantic parrot cries led a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist to a bamboo stalk, where an invasive boa had trapped an endangered juvenile bird.
Once U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Raúl Correa cut through the bamboo, the snake lost its hold, and the young Puerto Rican parrot was flying with its flock again, according to Popular Science.
Here's what to know
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service monitored the bird for lingering injuries. Correa, a biologist with the agency, freed the juvenile Puerto Rican parrot from a red-tailed boa, also known as a boa constrictor, by slicing through the bamboo pinning it in place.
In Puerto Rico, the critically endangered Puerto Rican parrot, Amazona vittata, now faces invasive red-tailed boas. Native to South America, the snakes reached the island through the illegal exotic pet trade in the 1990s and spread quickly.
U.S. Geological Survey director Marcia McNutt explained why the species was such a risk.
"Experience has shown that island ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to snake invasions, and unfortunately Puerto Rico has no natural predators that can keep the numbers of these prolific, snakes in check," she told Popular Science.
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More background
Puerto Rico also has a native snake, the Puerto Rican boa, or Chilabothrus inornatus. That species tops out at about 7 feet, while invasive red-tailed boas can grow beyond 10 feet, a size difference that can sharply expand the prey at risk in the forest.
Disease is another concern. A 2023 study found that red-tailed boas carried viruses into the island's native snake populations, adding risks beyond direct predation.
Correa's rescue involved a young member of a species already facing severe threats. Invasive predators can be especially devastating on islands because many native animals did not evolve alongside them.
The exotic pet trade can leave consequences that last for decades, affecting forests, native wildlife, and the agencies and communities left trying to contain the damage.
What's being done?
The rescue also underscored Puerto Rico's broader invasive snake challenge. Elsewhere, organized removal efforts include Florida's annual Python Hunt, which offers prize money to amateur and professional hunters who kill invasive Burmese pythons.
Eradicating a large constrictor is hard, labor-intensive work once the species has established itself in a place with no natural predators. In Puerto Rico, wildlife officials and researchers are confronting a crisis created by human behavior.
Even as the wider fight against invasive boas continues, the young parrot has returned to its flock.
"Humans were responsible for introducing this scourge to the island, and are the only hope for mitigating the problem before it is too late for the native species," said McNutt.
Where can I learn more?
Other invasive species threaten vulnerable ecosystems as efforts continue to contain them.
• On Alaska's Saint Paul Island, officials waged war on rats threatening a fragile seabird ecosystem.
• In Australia's Mitchell River, researchers tracked an invasive tilapia threat.
• In the Italian Alps, scientists documented the invasive hwamei's spread and confirmed breeding activity.
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