SW1: Pythons in Florida
Posted by: Hannah Naughton in SW1, tags: Burmese python, Everglades, international pet tradeThe Burmese python is just one of thousands of non-native animal and plant species that have invaded the United States in the last decades . However this “former pet” has taken a large toll in the Everglades in Florida, killing pets, alligators, and even children. It has become such a problem that, according to the NY Times, Congress is considering a ban on buying nine kinds of giant snakes. Most of the pythons in the park are a product of the international pet trade. National Geographic News stated that over the past 5 years U.S. has imported more than 144,000 Burmese pythons.
Although the pythons have become “celebrities” in Florida, the problems caused by them still remain. The newfound fascination with the snakes seems to have obscured the threat they pose. Attempts to reduce the python population have occurred, such as a six-week hunting season, however the results have not been significant. I think that the best way to control the issue is to ban the buying and selling of the python. Once the cute baby snakes turn into 15-foot-long monsters, some owners try to get rid of their pets by leaving them in the forest. This only escalates the problem. If the U.S. cuts off the booming trade in “exotic pets,” the problem of the killer python would hopefully settle.
It is interesting how the U.S. has allowed this pet trade to occur for so long. I would think that it would be obvious that 15-20 foot Asian pythons would be dangerous as pets. However, now that people have been strangled by these beasts, the officials have no choice but to take action.
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January 13th, 2011 at 6:19 pm
144,000 is outrageous for the number of pythons that have been imported into the U.S. I never thought that huge snakes would be so popular as pets, and I can definitely see why they would cause so many problems once they are released into the wild. I am curious about whether or not they have any natural predators, but even the largest of animals would probably have trouble taking down a 15 feet long snake. I wonder what the owners of these snakes have to feed them?
January 17th, 2011 at 4:00 pm
Snakes are not fun animals to have around, for starters. Yes, no one should have lethal animals as pets, let alone be able to release them in the wild when they’re done handling them.
Isnt a snake a man’s best friend?
April 20th, 2011 at 7:08 pm
I feel like having an outright ban on the buying and selling of exotic pets may not help as much as you’d think. There would still be a market for the snakes. The type of people that are willing to illegally purchase a python would most likely not be the most responsible people, leading to more releases into the wild. Perhaps a permit should be required to own one. A person willing to go through the process of buying an expensive permit would be more knowledgeable, and prepared for what is in store for them once their snake starts growing. I believe the problem is that they are so cheap. I could order a baby burmese python right now and have it delivered to my house for less than $100, and the sad thing is there are some very irresponsible people who would spend their only $100 to have a “cool” snake. I don’t think there is anything wrong with having a pet snake, I have a friend with a ball python that is very docile and fun to handle, but there should be some sort of permit to keep people from making impulse buys on an animal they can’t handle. One of my younger brother’s friends tried to purchase an American alligator offline at http://www.generalexotics.com until he realized you need a special permit. If it works with alligators it could work with pythons.
April 21st, 2011 at 10:15 pm
I agree. Something such as a permit would be a much better solution than an outright ban on exotic pets. It would also promote education of the public. I feel that knowledge often lacks when it comes to dealing with exotic animals and their potential dangers (that goes for any invasive species in general). Stricter laws need to be enforced when it comes to issues like these.