As per recent news by Reuters, two invasive species, the American bullfrog and the brown tree snakes have cost the world a total of $16 billion. While this amount is unbelievably high, people have been wondering how animals as small as a bullfrog and a tree snake can cost the global economy this much.
Two invasive species, the American bullfrog and the brown tree snake, cost the world an estimated $16 billion between 1986 and 2020 by causing problems ranging from crop damage to power outages https://t.co/cSvnZAAW6T pic.twitter.com/tWDmsM7HfP
— Reuters (@Reuters) July 29, 2022
According to a study published on Thursday, the two animals have been causing problems ranging from crop damage to power outages between 1986 and 2020.
The animals may sound pretty small, but the truth is far from it. According to research published in Scientific Reports, the brown-and-green frog known as lithobates catesbeianus can weigh over 2 pounds (0.9 kilos) and had the greatest impact in Europe.
Whereas the brown tree snake, or Boiga irregularis, has multiplied uncontrollably on Pacific islands including Guam and the Marianna Islands. These snakes were introduced by U.S. troops in World War II, said Ismael Soto, a Ph.D. student at the University of South Bohemia in the Czech Republic, the study’s lead researcher.
Soto also stated that the snakes have at times been so abundant that they caused power outages by crawling on electrical equipment.
He has further suggested that this situation signals the need for investment in controlling the global transport of invasive species to avoid paying for mitigation after the invasions occur.
He told Reuters that the pet trade is the main pathway for these species. Especially now that everyone wants to get the most exotic snake. He proposes that we need to continuously update the black list of forbidden species for trade.
Source: NDTV
