Brown treesnake inspections free and encouraged for all Guam staged cargo

For personnel involved in emergency responses in the Mariana Islands 

Any cargo staged on Guam must be inspected for snakes both before leaving Guam AND when it arrives at its  destination: Inspections are FREE! 

INSPECTIONS ARE CRITICAL. DO NOT BE THE CAUSE OF A SECOND ECOLOGICAL DISASTER. 

1. The Brown Treesnake (Boiga irregularis; BTS) Program removes BTS on Guam and prevents spread to other islands.  BTS were accidentally introduced to Guam after WWII. With no native snakes, local animal species are defenseless against BTS. Within 30 years, 9 of 11 species of forest birds were lost from Guam. We can prevent another ecological  disaster by inspecting cargo and equipment that is staged or stationed on Guam for shipment to neighbor islands.  Inspections are critical before items leave Guam, and as soon as they arrive on destination islands. 

2. Schedule inspections on Guam by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Wildlife Services (WS) for all aircraft,  cargo, vehicles, and vessels that have been staged, stationed, or stored on Guam (for contact info see contact list on page 2). Inspections are available 24/7. 

a. All items staged on Guam must be inspected before transport to other Pacific Islands. 

b. Examples of cargo are vehicles, pallets of goods, loose boxes, containers filled with goods, bundles of  construction materials (rolls of metal sheeting, stacks of plywood/boards, PVC pipes, or any material that  provides an abundance of small, dark crevices). Containers and their contents must be inspected prior to  container packing. Once inspected containers can’t be opened again without reinspection. 

3. Before your cargo arrives on Saipan, Tinian, or Rota, schedule cargo inspections by Commonwealth of the  Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW). Early coordination of inspections is critical  to ensure that appropriate resources are available at the inspection site. 

a. Rota – contact Juan Mesngon (+1 670-287-7683)  

b. Tinian – contact Joe Cruz (+1 670-285-7877) 

c. Saipan – contact Joe Cruz (+1 670-285-7877)  

4. If you see a snake while in cargo staging areas or ports of departure on Guam or anywhere on other islands:

a. Report it immediately. Take note of where you are, what the snake looked like, and any notable behaviors.  Attempt to kill, injure, or capture the snake and take photos if possible. Keep visual contact with the snake  until BTS program personnel arrive. 

b. To report a snake 24/7 on Guam call +1-671-685-2571 or +1-671-685-8992. Only report if in cargo staging  areas/ports of departure. No need to report snakes on Guam outside of those areas. 

c. To report a snake 24/7 anywhere in the CNMI (Saipan, Tinian, Rota) call +1 670-28-SNAKE (+1 670-287-6253). d. To report a snake on any island to the BTS Rapid Response Team on Guam, call +1 671-777-HISS (+1 671-777- 4477). 

e. If the snake is killed, save the carcass and give to a CNMI, USDA, FWS, or USGS representative.