Posted by:
webwheeler
at Sun Nov 8 23:03:35 2009 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by webwheeler ]
Are Burmese Pythons in the Everglades National Park (ENP) an "Out-of-Control" Problem?
There are supposed to be 150,000 feral Burmese Pythons living in the Florida ENP, and they are reproducing at a rate of 100 eggs per year per female!
Sounds scary, doesn't it? Yet, feral Burmese Pythons have been in the ENP for over 15 years and no one has ever been killed or seriously injured by one. They are reportedly dinning on endangered species, yet endangered species are rarely found among the stomach contents of captured animals.
Is it possible that Burmese Pythons eat other invasive animals like feral cats and pigs, which have proven to be a real problem in the ENP?
Burmese Pythons in the ENP are an opportunity!
Burmese Pythons in the Everglades National Park are an opportunity for researchers, like Skip Snow and Gordon Rodda, to get huge piles of cash to "study this problem".
Burmese Pythons in the Everglades National Park are an opportunity for Animal Rights Organizations, like HSUS and PETA, to get priceless media publicity to push for exotic animal bans.
Burmese Pythons in the Everglades National Park are an opportunity for politicians, like Senator Bill Nelson of Florida, to grandstand in front of a terrified electorate.
Burmese Pythons in the Everglades National Park are an opportunity for news organizations, like the Orlando Sentinel, to sell newspapers filled with pictures of "giant constrictors" being captured.
I wonder how much less food would be on tables in Florida had these snakes not eaten the mice and rats which they undoubtedly did?
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