Sunday, December 14, 2003

Aussie Quarantine Officials Get the Boot

Incredibly observant quarantine officials in Australia discovered seeds from the invasive Siam weed (Chromolaena odorata) in the tongue of a work boot, according to this article from news.com.au. The pair of boots was examined during a routine cargo inspection of a shipment from East Timor, and was likely "contaminated" during some sort of field survey. The officials prevented Siam weed from entering the Northern Territory of Australia, where the species is not yet known. The fast-growing plant has already caused problems on a local level when it was found in Queensland, a state in northeastern Australia.

No comments: