HERALD TRIBUNE (Sarasota, Florida) 10 August 09 Editorial: Land of the reptiles - Florida needs protection from pythons and other invasive species

Tourists and other money-spending travelers are welcome in Florida -- especially now, during this debilitating economic recession.

But some visitors -- such as Burmese pythons, iguanas and Nile monitors -- need to be stopped at the border.

Unlike snowbirds, who contribute to our state and local economies in the winter and return to their roosts up North, exotic reptiles stay here -- and multiply.

Invasive species harm the environment, native wildlife and, in some cases, people. They offer no economic benefit, except to a few importers, sellers and zoo keepers.

A ban on importing pythons, as proposed in federal legislation, is warranted. Sponsored by two Florida Democrats -- Sen. Bill Nelson and Rep. Kendrick Meek -- S 373 and HR 2811 would add pythons to the list of "injurious species" prohibited from being imported into the United States.

Rep. Tom Rooney, a Florida Republican whose district includes part of Charlotte County, recently voted for a narrower version of HR 2811 in the House Judiciary Committee. He amended the bill so only Burmese pythons and African rock pythons would be prohibited.

Rooney told Herald-Tribune writer Jeremy Wallace that lobbyists for the U.S. Association of Reptile Keepers and the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council thought the original bill was "too broad."

Although the broad bill is supported by The Humane Society of the United States and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Rooney said he feared it would fail without the amendment.

Who knew the ARK and the PIJAC had such political clout?

The wisdom of allowing the importation of any exotic, constrictor snake escapes us, but, whatever the case, it's vital for Congress to enact new limits on the most dangerous and prolific species.

Federal laws and state regulations now in place have failed to prevent the numbers of exotic reptiles from growing exponentially. The python population in Everglades National Park, for instance, has multiplied from several hundred less than 10 years ago to at least 30,000 today (some credible estimates rise to 100,000).

Park rangers and biologists say the constrictors are killing numerous wading birds and other native wildlife. Since pythons don't have natural predators, they could continue to multiply unless controls are employed. Measures to allow controlled hunting and humane killing of pythons in the Everglades are a necessary short-term step.

But the presence of pythons isn't limited to the Everglades' vast expanses of warm, shallow water and sawgrass.

Two constrictors were recently found on the loose in Manatee County: a relatively small ball python in a residential neighborhood in east Bradenton, and a 14-foot Burmese python in a drainage pipe near an east Manatee shopping center. The larger creature, said the trapper, is big enough to swallow a 7-year-old child.

As some experts have said, the public debate over pythons lends itself to hyperbole. But some dissected pythons have contained the remains of wild animals that reach or exceed the size of humans.

A well-publicized incident last month showed that a python doesn't have to swallow a child to inflict death: An 8-foot python escaped from its cage and strangled a 2-year-old girl in Sumter County.

Authorities said the python's owner, who lived with the girl's mother, didn't have the required state permit for owning a constrictor, which Florida considers a "reptile of concern."

Possession of a python -- or other reptiles such as green anacondas and Nile monitors -- without a permit is a second-degree criminal misdemeanor in Florida. But, in the case of the child's death, a misdemeanor conviction pales in comparison to the damage done.

So far, attacks on humans are relatively rare: Sen. Nelson told Congress that pythons have attacked 17 people in the past 10 years, resulting in seven deaths.

But there is no good reason for state and federal laws to allow the importation or possession of exotic reptiles as pets -- especially in light of the environmental damage that is sure to occur if pythons are released, as they often are.

Florida should support federal efforts to limit public access to pythons and similar reptiles by classifying them as Class 1 animals. State law bans personal possession of Class 1 wildlife such as lions, tigers, bears and large apes. Pythons and other constrictors should be under the same restriction.

County governments should get in the act by launching efforts to eradicate not only pythons, if they are found, but other exotic reptiles clearly flourishing in Southwest Florida. Although Sarasota County hasn't been plagued by pythons, it has allocated $50,000 in an attempt to limit the proliferation of exotic reptiles -- before populations get out of control or become too costly to contain.

A recent report said a trapper claims to have killed at least 150 iguanas in south Sarasota County parks. A reproducing colony of black spiny-tailed iguanas established itself along Midnight Pass Road south of Siesta Key Beach; previously, these colonies had only been found to the south, in Venice and Englewood and on Manasota Key.

In addition, monitor lizards, previously seen only in Englewood, have been sighted in The Landings subdivision off U.S. 41 in central Sarasota County and along the Interstate 75 corridor, particularly around the Celery Fields just south of Fruitville Road.

Pay now, or pay later

It's easy to make light of the challenge, especially when local budgets are severely strained. But since there's evidence of migrations to the north, consider that, to the south, Charlotte and Lee counties have spent a combined $230,000 for iguana removal since 2007.

Part of Sarasota County's recent allocation will go toward creating a management plan to identify and eradicate invasive species -- with a focus on public lands. Since neighboring Manatee County has extensive holdings of open lands -- both inland and on the coast -- we would encourage a partnership with Sarasota County to share resources and information.

As we've said before, Florida has too often waited too long to control invasive species. The results have been ugly and expensive to repair. We can pay a little now, or we can pay more later.

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20090810/OPINION/908101015/2198/OPINION?Title=Land-of-the-reptiles

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