Brown Tree Snakes

Here's a picture of a dead brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) in Guam. These snakes often fry themselves on electrical wires, sometimes causing brownouts.

(Photo taken by Bobbie)

Those of you familiar with this blog will probably be asking, "So what's the connection to unconventional pets?" Good question... I'll admit it is a tentative one. However, I am often shocked by how poorly educated many people are about the effects of invasive species on native ecosystems. This tree snake, accidentally introduced into Guam on a ship shortly after world war two, has decimated the islands' aviofauna. Exotic pets can have equally devastating effects if they manage to escape or are released into countries to which they are not native.

A prime example of this is the established populations of Burmese pythons (from South-East Asia) in Florida (US), and of red-eared slider terrapins (from the US) in the Philippines (South-East Asia).

Therefore, it is important to remember that as responsible pet owners one must never release an exotic pet into the wild for any reason. It is impossible to predict how it will interact with native ecosystems.