Python Wars -- Blog Discussions

Thank you for the comments on Python Wars. Here is a response to some of the posted comments from the production team that created the show:

-The 1992 Hurricane Andrew story is covered in our film and we present this theory for the initial python population in the Everglades as it is discussed among various groups of pet owners, breeders, and scientists. Many people in the scientific community believe it is an urban legend, while others do not. If you missed this discussion, the show will air again on NGC, please check the website for times and dates.

-The USGS climate study we refer to as “controversial” in our film is introduced to illustrate one theory put forth by researchers at the USGS, a highly credible institution. Scientists continue to debate the ability of pythons to survive in different climates, and the USGS study is one discussed within our overall coverage. We are aware of the ongoing debate that continues to evolve surrounding the USGS report and feel we framed our reporting accordingly based on information available at the time of our production.

-At several points throughout the film, we have distinguished between the vast majority of snake owners who act responsibly and the minority who have trouble with their pets. We felt this was a very important distinction to make.

-We would like to point out that our re-creations are intended to illustrate certain points within our program and are performed by actresses and actors, and were produced with professional snake handlers. Our film does not contain footage captured of any actual attack on a human, nor did we actually release any snakes into the wild.

-Finally, the film takes no position on the need for a snake ban. It simply reports that such a ban is being considered in Florida. We also report that this proposed ban is quite controversial.

This film is one of many resources put forth by National Geographic available to the public. We encourage audiences to take full advantage of all of the resources we provide on this topic in order learn more about issues we explore in our films. For your convenience, we have compiled numerous sources for you here to consult:

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/burmese-python.html

http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/chiefeditor/2009/12/547.html

http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/chiefeditor/2009/11/reptile-owners-on-invasive-snakes-issue.html

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/6/photogalleries/invasive/photo2.html
National Geographic Magazine article: Hunting the Mighty Python, May 1997
Pages: 110-117 –available at multiple libraries or by subscription.

Thank you for providing feedback on the show, and thanks for watching!

The NG Explorer Team

Read more: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/community/blogs/explorer?plckController=Blog&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&UID=a65fc8a8-c329-4043-a1ff-842f1577fb4e&plckPostId=Blog:a65fc8a8-c329-4043-a1ff-842f1577fb4ePost:9bb35e3d-3f67-42b0-9c22-da0d9fa8e5a6&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest#ixzz0gnOW3YqO

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