** Rob Saecker wrote -
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Interesting; the story I got when visiting Hawai'i was that mongoose were
brought in to control rats, another foreign import. That, of course, was a
total failure, as rats are nocturnal and mongoose are diurnal, so the
mongoose turned to goose eggs. I wouldn't think native snakes would have
been a problem for native birds; after all, they would have co-evolved,
although habitat loss could have upset the balance.
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The snake in question is the Brown Tree Snake, an inveterate egg-eater. It is
not native to Hawaii (I believe southeast Indonesia) but has been transported to
the islands in the wheel wells of aircraft. This snake is now the major problem
on most Pacific islands to which it has been introduced.




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Jack Bowling
Prince George, BC
jbowling at direct.ca