Dead brown tree snake found at Rota’s seaport

A dead snake was fished out of the water of the Rota harbor two Saturdays ago after it fell from a cargo of rebar that was being unloaded from a ship that had just arrived from Guam.

According to a statement issued yesterday by the Division of Fish and Wildlife, the find was confirmed as a brown tree snake (Bioga irregularis) that is about 44 inches in total length.

“It is my best estimate that the animal was dead upon arrival and had been dead for approximately 1-2 weeks before it was discovered on Rota based on its emaciated state,” said Nate Hawley, the division’s herpetologist. “It appears that the snake was not crushed or harmed physically by the movement of cargo.”

The statement said the snake apparently fell from a cargo being offloaded from the MV Super Shuttle, which had arrived at the Rota Commercial Seaport from Guam on April 4, 2009, at about 6:45am

“The vessel arrived directly from Guam with a mixed load of containers and break bulk cargo. The unloading procedure began at 9:30am starting first with the containers and then the break bulk items. After the containers were off-loaded a bundle of rebar was about to be off-loaded when Rota Terminal and Transfer employees noticed an object that appeared to be a piece of rope fall from the rebar bundle into the water next to the vessel. The object was retrieved and was found to be an emaciated brown tree snake,” the statement says.

Quarantine Inspector Irene Apatang verified the capture at 9:45am and instructed Quarantine Inspector Joseph Atalig to retrieve the snake from Jason Maratita, the Commonwealth Port Authority employee who recovered the snake from the water.

The find prompted the Department of Lands and Natural Resources’ Division of Agriculture, Quarantine Section to conduct a thorough visual inspection of the vessel and cargo, including the contents of the previously off-loaded containers.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services in Guam was also contacted about this voyage and it has been verified that all cargo had been searched prior to departure by BTS Detector Canines.

“It should be noted that BTS Canines are trained to search for live snakes (which have a distinct smell as compared to decomposing/dead snakes) and that searching a vessel is considered to be extremely hazardous to the health of the canine,” said the DFW statement.

Fish and Wildlife commended the Rota agencies and their staff for their excellent coordination, inspection, and implementation of protocol.

Fish and Wildlife director Sylvan O. Igisomar reminded residents that all snakes seen in the CNMI should be approached with caution and be reported immediately to the snake hotline 28-SNAKE (287-6253). If the snake sighted is confirmed as a brown tree snake, it may easily be killed by a blow to the head or body with a heavy object.

Brown tree snakes are typically described as brown to olive green in color, with yellowish bellies, a triangular shaped head the is noticeably larger than the neck, with vertical cat-shaped pupils.

The brown tree snake was introduced in Guam in the 1940s and has since been responsible for the extinction of numerous bird and lizard species as well as frequent power outages. It also poses a health risk to infants.

“The Division of Fish and Wildlife would like to remind everyone that the CNMI has no native snake species! Therefore, it is extremely important to report all snake sightings to the DLNR-DFW immediately at the brown tree snake hotline at 670-28-SNAKE (670-287-6253). [B][I](Saipan Tribune)
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