GAINESVILLE SUN (Florida) 12 August 07 Released snake found in exotic birdcage (Karen Voyles)
The problem of imported snakes escaping or being discarded in South Florida was a recent news topic that caught the attention of Carl and Brenda Kottmeyer, because they had raised snakes several years ago.
The topic got their full attention again Saturday morning when they discovered a ball python inside a nesting cage in the back yard of their northwest Gainesville home.
The body of one of the Kottmeyers' exotic birds, a white-bellied Caique, lay next to the 4-foot-long snake. The rare female bird from the Amazon had apparently been fatally constricted by the python.
However, the Kottmeyers said they suspect the reason the snake did not swallow the bird was because the Caique was too large for the snake to get its mouth around. Although upset about the situation, the Kottmeyers said they did not destroy the snake.
"This is what happens when these snakes that are not native to Florida get loose or their owners let them go because they can't or don't want to care for them anymore," said Brenda. "We can't blame the snake for doing what instinct tells it to do - hunt small animals."
Of course, when pythons and other breeds of snakes eat enough small animals, their appetite turns to larger prey. A few years ago in the Everglades, a 13-foot Burmese python ate a 6-foot alligator and exploded. Also in 2005, a 12-foot Burmese python ate a Siamese house cat in Miami Gardens.
"That's the kind of thing we thought about when we found this snake," said Carl. "It's not something that people think about when they buy this little snake and bring it home. It's like they forget that these things will grow."
Although it's rarely used, Florida does have a law banning the release of exotic animals like snakes. It is a first-degree misdemeanor, which carries a maximum of a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. However, state wildlife officials have said people are virtually never charged with the crime unless they are caught releasing an exotic species.
Non-native snakes are a growing problem in the subtropical climate of South Florida.
A couple hundred pythons have been removed from the Everglades in recent years because they are a danger to alligators, which are native to the Everglades, and several species of endangered birds.
The Kottmeyers contacted a zoo herpetologist, who was helping them make arrangements for a new home for the snake on Saturday afternoon.
"We also called a reptile dealer so we know that there will be someplace he can go," Carl said. "It's not the snake's fault for doing what his instincts tell him to do. It's the fault of whoever let him go."
Released snake found in exotic birdcage