The image is horrifying: monstrous Burmese pythons slithering their way into the Lowcountry from the Florida wilds, devouring birds, pets, alligators, other snakes and maybe an occasional human.



That's the conclusion of a recent U.S. Geological Survey study: The snake is one of five non-native giant constrictors that could pose high risks to the environment in every Southeastern state, based on a climate comparison that suggests the climate here isn't much different from that in regions of India and China where the snakes are native.



Escaped or freed Burmese pythons and boa constrictors already are confirmed to be breeding in South Florida swamps, and there is strong evidence the Northern African python is breeding there, too. Other species noted in the study are anacondas and reticulated pythons. The species breed quickly and in large numbers. The implication is that as the population grows, snakes would be pushed to new ground, much like coyotes and armadillos.



At the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory in Aiken, a study is under way to gauge whether the snakes can endure this far north and what impact they would have on the environment.



One of the USGS study authors, Gordon Rhodda, said he has heard "guess-timates" of anywhere from 30,000 to 150,000 of the snakes already loose in the Everglades area. The snakes grow as long as 20 feet and as heavy as 200 pounds; there aren't a whole lot of critters that will mess with them.



"We know alligators eat them," Rhodda said, "and we know they eat alligators."



Pythons are known to be aggressive to humans. Earlier this year, a 2-year-old girl in Oxford, Fla. was strangled by a 12-foot Burmese python that escaped from its cage in her family's home.



But Roark Ferguson of Roark's Reptile Safari in North Charleston said the Florida "guess-timates" are grossly overstated, and the study is part of a growing effort to put severe constraints on the exotic pet trade because of incidents such as the death in Florida, where people keep the snakes without permits and handle them unsafely.



"There is not a shred of proof or evidence that any snakes in that bogus study can or will extend the Southern range beyond the Everglades," Ferguson said.



The study was released as a bill is moving through Congress to make it illegal to import ship pythons as "injurious animals."



"Pythons and boas develop respiratory disease and pneumonia without tropical temps," Ferguson said. "The (study authors) are manipulating the science and the media, and their sole purpose is to end the exotic reptile trade. The danger is imaginary: It's as if ... these giant snakes are going to get out and devour people."



Alan Bosch of Alan Bosch Reptiles and John Burgett of the South Carolina Herpetocultural Society concurred. The climate has kept the reptiles from moving far from the Everglades, Bosch said. Burgett advocates stricter permitting for large snake sales and microchipping the snakes to identify negligent owners.



"Banning the trade won't stop anything; it'll just move to the black market," Burgett said. "You need to start holding the people responsible who are neglectful (about pet snakes). You've got all these people who go into pet shops, see this nice little 2-foot snake and don't realize it's going to grow to 20 feet and 200 pounds. When it gets too big, they set it loose."



Robert Reed, a USGS invasive species scientist and herpetologist who also authored the report, said, "USGS has absolutely no role in policy. We can't recommend any action."



The climate comparison used for the study already has been challenged in another study, he said. "There certainly is plenty of room for debate on these issues. The (climate and range) question will be refined over time," he said.



But when looking at temperatures in the natural Asian ranges of the animals, the idea that they can't live in temperate climates isn't supported, he said.



The idea the snakes could establish in the Lowcountry is scary, Burgett said. If it were to be true, "There's not much we could do except to educate people and to start permitting pythons and other species."

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