I admit that additional experimentation on animals is no ideal.

However, wouldn't it be simple enough to replicate this study? A climate controlled room with the ability to frost and even freeze would be easy enough to create. A dozen rooms of this type, a dozen snakes. Create an "environmental plan" meant to mimic the typical weather in several locations in the south east. Monitor the snakes frequently for URIs, the ability to feed and/or weight loss, etc. It would take money, but only a fraction as much as many studies of this size.

Additionally, they could re-use the room to check the invasion potential of other tropical and sub-tropical species.
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Lincoln, NE
0.1 Pastel, 1.0 Pastel het Pied, 0.1 Pied, 0.1 Cinn, 1.0 Black Pewter, 1.0 Woma (hidden gene?), 0.1 Yellowbelly
2.0 Normals, 1.0 Thayeri, 0.1 Thayeri X Alterna, 0.1 crazy cat, 1.0 husband

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• All 10 pythons in SC study die... - jason, Fri Sep 24 05:58:56 2010
• There's a way to find out... - Bolitochrome, Fri Sep 24 07:46:08 2010
• RE: All 10 pythons in SC study die... - RinL, Fri Sep 24 07:49:19 2010
• RE: All 10 pythons in SC study die... - Melinda666, Sat Sep 25 19:47:58 2010
• RE: All 10 pythons in SC study die... - DiamondFlame10, Sun Sep 26 21:16:29 2010