World's biggest snake threatened by backpackers

[Judi Lynn]

World's biggest snake threatened by backpackers
The lure of seeing the anaconda in its natural habitat is bringing thousands of British backpackers to a small corner of the Amazon that has become one of the continent's biggest eco-tourism destinations.

By Michael Howie, La Paz 4:47PM GMT 21 Dec 2010

But for the anacondas that live in the swamps surrounding the Yacuma River in northern Bolivia, this invasion of gap year travellers and other hardy tourists is proving disastrous.

Biologists say the entire population of anacondas in one of the jewels of the Amazon basin will be wiped out within three years because of the deadly effect on the snakes of the insect repellant used by most backpackers to help protect against malaria.

The number of tourists going on tours of the pampas that snake there way through jungle and grasslands 250 miles north of La Paz has exploded from a few hundred to nearly 12,000 a year in the past decade.

Travellers are enticed by the promise of getting up close and personal with the world's largest snake - sometimes picking them up and hlding them - as well as swimming with river dolphins, catching pirhanas, and spotting monkeys, sloths and an array of other flora and fauna.

More:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/bolivia/8216528/Worlds-biggest-snake-threatened-by-backpackers.html

[no limit]

1. People like to pick up anacondas? Gives me nightmares just thinking about it

[Kolesar]

8. Thousands of dollars just to wing to the wilderness and pick up an anaconda

Can't they just take up inline skating or birdwatching back home?

I know a couple whose life goal is to visit every continent.

[hootinholler]

2. A deadly love

"The high-strength insect repellant that tourists use to protect themselves from mosquitos is absolutely fatal to the anacondas.

"They are amphibians and breath through their skin. The insect repellant, along with some types of sun cream, is extremely toxic. It is getting washed into the pampas and left in the swamps where tourists are hunting for the snakes.

Like a child carrying a kitteh. When will we grow up?

-Hoot

[Kali]

4. um, snakes are not amphibians

they might be amphibious, but not amphibians

ah, science education for journalists

[hootinholler]

6. I feel moranic for not catching that

:rofl:

Of course snakes are reptiles.

-Hoot

[GliderGuider]

3. Jesus Haploid Christ

Another victory over wildlife, brought to you by the United States Army (developers of DEET) and stupid people everywhere.

:nuke:

[bleever]

5. Darn, I thought this was an article about Rick Scott.

:(

[ladjf]

7. The human race is not only too dumb to survive, it's too dumb to

allow anything else to survive either. nt

[Karenina]

9. Cheers!

:toast: