Python folks,

I hope everyone had a pleasant Memorial Day weekend. I see that there was considerable activity on the forum, and I apologize for taking so long to respond. Though these responses are directed at a few particular posters, I really mean them for everyone. Please understand that I’m trying to view the issue objectively and without emotion, though I fully realize that this is quite an emotional subject for many of you on this forum. A cool-headed and well thought out approach is what USARK has recommended, too.

Jscrick,

I don’t work on the python project, don’t live in Florida, and have been sincere in everything I’ve written. Additionally, wording means everything in a situation like the hobby is facing. My main point in the thread is that we as hobbyists should, in my opinion, avoid the type of sensationalism that we were so angry about when it was coming from the other side? Why is this a contentious point?

Natsamjosh,

The majority of the American public probably isn’t aware of the plight of the python keepers, and probably thinks anyone who keeps herps is nuts. Sure, more and more people join our ranks each year, but I’d still wager a bet that we’re looked upon as odd by most folks’ standards!

The USGS Report, in all of its craptastic splendor, was heavily criticized by the scientific community for not passing through the proper channels, undergoing peer review (where it may have been rejected due to major flaws), etc. So, please understand that real scientists doing subsequent work on the pythons (“real science”) want to make sure that their work is reviewed, their methods checked for validity, and that any conclusions that they reach can truly be reached from the work they’ve done, not wild speculation.

Also, please note that it’s not fair to paint all scientists with the same brush, just as it isn’t fair to paint all Burmese Python owners with the same brush. Scientists are people, too. They make mistakes. That’s why the peer review process is so valuable – it serves to stop too many blatant mistakes from making their way to publication.

Now, that certainly doesn’t answer your question as to why the numbers of pythons being seen (and which species they are) isn’t being reported to the hobbyists. Since I don’t work on the python project I can’t answer for certain, but I can venture some educated guesses:
- There are multiple agencies, universities, and private firms/individuals working with herps in the area. The chances of these unrelated groups really communicating with one another in full are probably slim. For example, 3 pythons seen by “Joe Blow” outside of Everglades National Park, 2 seen by the NPS within the park, and 4 seen by University researchers (some in and some out of the park) are probably not being reported to the same databases or in the same format.
- Providing an estimate of numbers seen might seem useless to people doing real scientific work on the pythons, since more are likely to be seen than are reported (by non-herpers) and misidentifications (also by non-herpers) are likely to account for some number of sightings. Real scientists aren’t interested in wild guesses.
- University research funding can come from many sources – private grants, internal grants from tuition or fundraisers, from the government, etc. Unless the research grant money was provided by the government, any information gathered by the researchers is not publicly owned and there is no obligation to share it with anyone.
- There may be fear by researchers doing “real science” that any data released prior to the review and publication of the scientific work would be used for additional sensationalism/media frenzy, which most real scientists scorn.

I hope this helps and doesn’t offend anyone (as some of my previous posts on this forum seem to have done…). It’s the politicians that are our enemy at the moment, not the scientists (many of whom, believe it or not, keep herps!).

-Cole Grover

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