After death, Fla. may forbid owning pythons
TALLAHASSEE (AP) – Florida wildlife officials are considering a ban on possessing several large, nonnative reptile species after a pet Burmese python killed a 2-year-old girl last month.
Col. Julie Jones, director of law enforcement for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission discussed that option with Gov. Charlie Crist when he visited the agency Wednesday to get an update on a South Florida python hunt Crist requested following the girl’s death.
Jones said authorities are considering a ban on Internet sales and “looking at what kind of industry is in Florida now, where these snakes are sold, how they’re produced and how they’re coming into the state.”.
The commission can adopt a ban on its own, but state and federal legislators also have talked about passing laws to prohibit such reptiles as pets.
Commission spokeswoman Patricia Behnke said if the panel does act it also would ban other “reptiles of concern.” They include the Nile monitor lizard, Indian python, reticulated python, African rock python, amethystine or scrub python and green anaconda.
Behnke said officials are just beginning to look at the issue and are a long way from making any decisions on details such as whether people who now own the reptiles would be allowed to keep them.
A state regulation already requires people who own reptiles of concern to register their pets with the state and pay a $100 fee. Microchips must be inserted in the reptiles so they and their owners can be identified if their pets escape or are released.
Burmese pythons, which can grow up to 26 feet and top 200 pounds, are popular as pets because they are relatively docile.
Wildlife authorities believe large numbers were released in 1992 when Hurricane Andrew flattened several snake dealers in South Florida. The serpents have since multiplied and moved north and east. Others may have been released by pet owners.
Tim Breault, director of habitat and species conservation for the commission, said 110,000 Burmese pythons have been imported to Florida since 1990 and tens of thousands may be loose on state and federal lands in South Florida including the Everglades. Officials are unsure if the other reptiles of concern have invaded Florida’s environment, but they could pose similar hazards if they are released or escape.
All are a threat to endangered native species such as the Key Largo wood rat as well as nesting water birds.
“The unflighted young could be easy victims, and it’s kind of a smorgasbord, literally,” Breault. “It’s just an open bar for these kind of snakes. And they’re big enough they could consume lots and lots of young birds.”
No humans have been killed by snakes in the wild, but Jones said an aggressive eradication program is needed to prevent that from happening.
Crist said that’s why he asked for the hunt on state and federal lands.
“We had a duty to take action to protect the people,” Crist said. “We’ll continue to do whatever we need to protect them.”
The commission opened the hunt two weeks after an 8 1/2-foot Burmese python escaped its tank and strangled Shaiunna Hare at her central Florida home on July 1.
Since then seven reptile experts have been issued permits to capture and kill snakes. So far they have dispatched six Burmese pythons, while federal authorities last year killed about 300 in the Everglades National Park. The first phase of the program will end Oct. 31, but Jones told Crist it will be continued into the winter months when the snakes are easier to catch as they venture into open areas to bask in the sun.
Breault said the commission next may enlist hunters who go after deer, ducks and other prey. So far only snake experts have been allowed to participate to ensure just invasive species are targeted.