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MIAMI HERALD (Florida) 27 January 07 State aims to put squeeze on wayward pet pythons (Curtis Morgan)
Buying a python in Florida, a no-questions-asked process today, soon could be more like buying another kind of lethal weapon.
There won't be criminal checks or three-day waits as there are for handguns, but new proposals could make it a lot more complicated, and a little more expensive, to buy a Burmese python or five other large exotic reptiles that have found the state an all-too-appetizing place to live.
Under rules that Florida wildlife commissioners will consider next month, both prospective python purchasers and an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 current owners would be required to get a state permit and have a veterinarian insert a microchip -- similar to the IDs routinely implanted in traditional house pets -- into every one of the cold-blooded critters.
That would create what amounts to a reptile registry that would allow wildlife officers to trace the owners of lost, escaped or illegally released ``species of concern.''
There's more. Owners also would get a visit from wildlife inspectors to ensure snake housing is up to snuff -- big enough, strong enough and locked.
''It's more or less cradle-to-grave following like we do with hazardous waste,'' said Skip Snow, a biologist with Everglades National Park who leads a multiagency effort to eradicate fast-spreading and formidable invaders that threaten native wildlife. Researchers have pulled everything from birds to bobcats out of python bellies.
As one of the largest snakes in the world, sometimes topping 20 feet, pythons potentially could even challenge the natural dominant predators of the Everglades or other wild places -- a concern bizarrely illustrated two years ago by now-famous photos of a 13-foot python that exploded after swallowing a six-foot alligator.
While scientists have found evidence that pythons are now breeding in Everglades, they know the first snakes didn't slither over from Asia and elsewhere by themselves.
Some pets or breeding stocks may have escaped into the Everglades after Hurricane Andrew ripped across South Miami-Dade in 1992, but the prime suspects for the proliferation are owners with animals suddenly too expensive to feed or scary to keep.
Valli Finney, spokeswoman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said the proposals are designed to ensure buyers are prepared for what they're getting into.
The agency also intends to launch an education campaign to coincide with the tougher rules.
''Responsible pet ownership is what we're aiming for,'' Finney said.
Before the agency would issue the free permit, which would be available online through the FWC, buyers would have to fill out a questionnaire assessing their knowledge of any one of six ''species of concern'' -- Burmese, reticulated, African rock and amethystine pythons, green anaconda and the Nile monitor lizard.
They must clearly state they're aware, for instance, that the cute, two-foot-long baby snake they're buying will stretch a dozen feet by age 6 and be capable, potentially, of crushing the life out of an unwary owner.
The cage requirements and inspections will be similar to those the state already requires for owners of venomous snakes.
The rules, if commissioners approve them Feb. 6, won't go into effect until Jan. 1, 2008. People who already own snakes would have to file for permits by that date, but they would have until July 1, 2008, to get microchips implanted.
Anyone found illegally releasing, buying or selling snakes, or failing to obtain permits, would face misdemeanor charges, up to a year in jail and a $500 fine.
While big snakes aren't a big part of the reptile market, breeders and retailers are expecting a drop in sales. Some customers already are asking questions about the rules.
Alana Lacentra, managers of Pets USA in the Shenandoah Square in Davie, said the added paperwork and costs could discourage the typical buyer: teenagers and children who have coaxed permission from parents. The shop won't sell a large breed to anyone under 16.
Buying and registering a microchip could double the cost of a $75 python, she said. The store sells only a few of the big snakes a year now anyway. But the sale of a fast-growing python promises a lot of food sales down the line. Still, she said, ``I don't think it's going to be a huge deal.''
Conrad Kranz, manager of Snakes at Sunset in Kendall, also expects the rules to take at least a small bite out of business. But he has long steered most buyers to smaller breeds anyway, pointing out the eye-opening 18-foot Burmese the shop keeps as resident pet.
''I try to shy people away from the large snakes,'' he said. ``Unless you're an enthusiast or had a lot of experience or you're really, really ready for a large snake.''
The proposals don't go as far as import and ownership bans that some have advocated, but crimping the key supply line to the wild should help scientists already struggling to figure out how to wipe out an elusive invader, Snow said.
''I don't know if it will solve the problem,'' he said, ``but it would be a step in the right direction.''
State aims to put squeeze on wayward pet pythons
