ST PETERSBURG TIMES (Florida) 05 October 07 Reptiles and amphibians have their place (Logan Neill)
Brooksville: To get a perspective on how tough the battle is to control invasive exotic reptiles in Florida, talk to Kevin Enge.
As a biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission who has specialized in lizards, salamanders and other four-legged reptiles for more than 17 years, Enge has seen it all.
Over the past few years, he has traversed sections of Everglades National Park, where huge populations of feral Burmese pythons and other exotic snakes formerly kept as pets have virtually stripped the area of wading birds and small mammals. He has visited neighborhoods in southwest Florida where non-native green iguanas as large as 5 feet roam freely through yards in search of tasty plants and flowers.
The worst thing, Enge says, is that the battle to rid the state of such unwanted creatures seems unlikely to get easier any time soon.
"It appears these animals, for the most part, are here to stay," Enge said. "There are just too many of them, and there are not enough resources to fight them."
Enge, who regularly gives lectures and workshops on the subject of Florida's feral non-native reptile problem, will be among several wildlife experts to appear Saturday at the Chinsegut Nature Center's annual Reptile and Amphibian Festival.
Though he admits that exotics have become a serious problem in the Florida wild, Enge, a former pet store owner, says there would be few problems with people keeping them as pets - as long as they don't turn them loose.
"Snakes, turtles, even iguanas can make good pets," Enge said. "They're fairly easy and inexpensive to take care of, and you don't need a lot of space. But like any pet, part of that care is making certain that it doesn't become someone else's problem."
An expert on Florida lizards and salamanders, Enge has spent much of his career studying the steady decline of native species such as the green anoles (often referred to as Florida chameleons), scrub lizards and the six-lined racerunner, all of which can be commonly found in back yards around Hernando County. Although the species are not considered endangered yet, Enge fears that the steady proliferation of non-natives, along with decreasing habitat, could change that.
"We live in a climate that easily supports exotic species," Enge said. "The problem is, once you reach a tipping point, it's next to impossible to correct it. That's why we have to guard against that possibility as much as we can."
Enge thinks that a lot of that has to do with educating the public about the need to avoid introducing exotic species into the wild and not destroy native reptiles that are beneficial to nature.
"The truth is, a lot of people are squeamish when it comes to reptiles," Enge said. "Unfortunately, a lot of that fear is based on misinformation. That's an area I feel everybody in my business needs to work on."
If you go
Reptile and Amphibian Festival
The Chinsegut Nature Center will have its annual Florida Reptile and Amphibian Festival from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the center's grounds, 23212 Lake Lindsey Road, north of Brooksville. The day will include live animal demonstrations and lectures, a herpetology tour, a puppet show, a frog-calling contest and door prizes. Admission is free. For information, call 754-6722 or visit the center's Web site, www.myfwc.com/chinsegut.
Reptiles and amphibians have their place