Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi fellow boa enthusiasts,

One of my new years resolutions this year is to be move involved. I’d like to kick up my involvement in the fight to keep our reptiles. I am also a procrastinator, so by posting this here I am motivating myself to accomplish this goal.

I would like your feedback, advice and assistance in my S373 plan of action. Lots of research has already been done on the facts and instead of me re-doing all of that research I’m hoping some of you may be able to provide links or works of reference that I can cite.

I plan to set up a meeting if possible with Senator Barbara Boxer here in CA. My first question about this is the timing. From what I have seen through posts on here, S373 is most likely on hold moving forward until after the holidays. When do you think would be the best time for me to set up this meeting? 2nd, 3rd week of January? Sometime in February?

My plan was to go in with a little presentation, with literature, maybe a couple poster-board graphs and some pictures. I know, very low-tech, but I don’t even have a PC at home right now (only online at work for the short time being), so a fancy PowerPoint presentation is out of my reach. Do you think I would be better off trying to do a PP presentation or would handmade graphs and the like make a bigger impact showing more work and effort?

I want to have some good talking points to present to her. Here is the list of items I have come up with so far that I want to present, please feel free to give feedback or offer ideas!

1) The economical impact the loss of interstate commerce, import and export would have on the python/boa community as well as ancillary businesses. I hope USARK will have some data and figures I can cite for this.
2) How this is based on a centralized issue in Florida, where there are already laws against releasing non-native animals (and mentioning other states that already have enacted similar laws). I’d like to have a list of states that prohibit releasing non-native species and a list of states that have state-wide permitting or registering systems for reptiles (do any states have this or is it only at the county/city level?)
3) The issue of Hurricane Andrew vs. people releasing pets. Does anyone have good solid reference about the genetic studies that were done to determine a lot of the snakes being found in the everglades were related? Also the data regarding accurate numbers of ‘wild’ burms/boas/etc being found/captured in the everglades.
4) Debunking the USGS map showing how invasive the species would be. I plan to cite the NatGeo report http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/chiefeditor/2009/12/547.html
5) Graph showing actual fatalities attributed to snakes over the last 10 years. Comparing to fatalities from horses and dogs (taking into account the # of households that keep those animals). Showing that there have been no deaths associated with boa constrictor/anaconda species. Showing how the majority (if not all?) deaths were to the actual keeper themselves or their immediate family, which does not pose a real threat to the general public. Possibly acknowledge that these are wild, potentially dangerous creatures that need proper husbandry, care and respect. Explain that the poor choices of a few irresponsible keepers should not devastate this hobby/business for the thousands of good responsible keepers.
6) Explaining my love and fascination with these species. How educational presentations impart a respect for nature and the cycle of life to children.
7) Showing photos of people enjoying their pets?

I would ask her for her honest thoughts and any questions about the issues. Thank her for her time and ask that she please consider all the facts when making her final decision. Followed up with a letter again going over the key points.

I am not a very good public speaker but this is something I am very passionate about and I want to help. I also plan to draft form letters to have my family and co-workers sign to send off to all involved with this flawed legislation.

So, please offer feedback if you can or share with me links or references with good facts that I can use. I want to go into this with lots of hard facts and figures, not just opinions. I would really appreciate any and all help with this. I will not have access online until I return to work but I look forward to coming back here in a week’s time to go over all the other posts that other people have made on the subject and really dig in to the feedback and resources to get this going. If you would prefer to contact me directly, my email address is hisba at yahoo dot com.

Thank you so much for your time and assistance, together we can fight this and win!
-April
please support USARK

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'There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."' -Rainshadow

I'm not much help for you but I do have some info links that are
pertinent , plus there are all of the videos that are out.

Pyron/Burbrink/Guiher Report
Claims of Potential Expansion throughout the U.S. by
Invasive Python Species Are Contradicted by Ecological
Niche Models
R. Alexander Pyron1,2*, Frank T. Burbrink2, Timothy J. Guiher1,2

usark.org/uploads/Pyron%20et%20al%202008%20-%20ecolog%20niche%20modeling%20contradicts%20python%20expansion%20claims.pdf

Same Info as above

R. Alexander Pyron1,2*, Frank T. Burbrink2, Timothy J. Guiher1,2

There is a study (done by City University of NY) which
contradicts the non-peer reviewed USGS opinion piece.
City University of New York (CUNY)
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2490718/

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Questions Posed and Answered on the Issues of Pythons
in South Florida and in Captivity
David G. Barker and Tracy M. Barker

vpi.com/sites/vpi.com/files/OnBurmese_Florida_compressed.pdf

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USARK's Archives containing many informational Documents

usark.org/archive.php

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Bull. Chicago Herp. Soc. 43(3):45-47, 2008
The Tympanum
Barkers

usark.org/uploads/Tympanum.pdf

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invasive species definition by law

Is the Burmese python an invasive species?
No. We have it on presidential authority that the Burmese
python in Florida is not an invasive species. They
can be correctly identified as an “exotic species,” or an
“established exotic,” a “non-native species,” or even an
“alien species.” They are not by legal definition an invasive
species.
Presidential Order 13112, signed into law by President
Bill Clinton on February 3, 1999, and titled Invasive
Species, provides the following definition [Section 1 (f)]:
“invasive species means an alien species whose introduction
does or is likely to cause economic or environmental
harm, or harm to human health.”

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Letter To Congress:

24 November 2009
U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary
The Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism & Homeland Security
2138 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairman Bobby Scott and Ranking Member Louie Gohmert:
We write in regard to the recent Congressional hearing on HR 2811. As scientists who have worked with reptiles including those cited in HR2811, we express our reservations regarding the document recently released by USGS as an “Open-Report”, titled Giant Constrictors: Biological and Management Profiles and an Establishment Risk Assessment for Nine Large Species of Pythons, Anacondas, and the Boa Constrictor.
Simply put, this report is not a bona-fide “scientific” paper that has gone through external peer review. Part of this report is fact-driven, described by the authors as “traditional library scholarship.” By the authors’ admissions, there are surprisingly little data available regarding the natural history of these species. In their attempt to compile as much information as possible, the authors draw from a wide variety of references, ranging from articles published in peer-reviewed professional journals to far less authoritative hobbyist sources, including popular magazines, the internet, pet industry publications, and even various media sources. While such an approach is inclusive, it tends to include information that is unsubstantiated and, in some cases, contradicts sound existing data.
As scientists whose careers are focused around publishing in peer-reviewed journals and providing expert reviews of papers submitted to these journals, we feel it is a misrepresentation to call the USGS document “scientific”. In fact, much of this report is based on an unproven risk assessment model that produces results that contradict the findings presented in a recently published scientific paper that used a more complex and superior model (see: Pyron R.A., F.T. Burbrink, and T.J. Guiher. 2008. Claims of Potential Expansion throughout the U.S. by Invasive Python Species Are Contradicted by Ecological Niche Models, PLoS One 3: e2931. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0002931). Unfortunately, the authors of the USGS document limit their reference to this scientific work to an unsubstantiated criticism. To the contrary, this alternate model is validated by its relatively accurate prediction of the natural distribution of the species in question (something the USGS model does not even attempt). Furthermore, despite its conclusion of a limited potential distribution of Burmese pythons in the United States, the model presented by Pyron et al. accurately predicts the presence of Burmese pythons in the Everglades.
The USGS model likely provides a gross overestimate of potential habitat for these snake species. People throughout the United States keep pythons as pets, yet the only known breeding populations in the United States are in the Everglades. Such a wide distribution of potential sources of invasion, but only a localized invasive event, suggests that factors beyond those used in the USGS model are critical to limiting the suitability of habitat for pythons. The authors even state that climate is only one factor of several that affect the distribution of an animal, yet they develop a model that only uses overly simplistic climatic data (e.g., the climatic data did not take seasonality into consideration).
We are further concerned by the pervasive bias throughout this report. There is an obvious effort to emphasize the size, fecundity and dangers posed by each species; no chance is missed to speculate on negative scenarios. The report appears designed to promote the tenuous concept that invasive giant snakes are a national threat. However, throughout the report there is a preponderance of grammatical qualifiers that serve to weaken many, if not most, statements that are made.
We fully recognize the serious concerns associated with the presence of persistent python populations in southern Florida. As top predators, these animals can and will have a dramatic impact on the community of wildlife that lives in the Everglades. Inaccurately extending this threat to a much large geographic area is not only inappropriate, but likely takes needed focus away from the real problem in the Everglades.
In conclusion, as written, this document is not suitable as the basis for legislative or regulatory policies, as its content is not based on best science practices, it has not gone through external peer-review, and it diverts attention away from the primary concern. We encourage the USFWS and USGS to submit this document to an independent body for proper and legitimate peer review. Additionally, we encourage the Committee to review this document, not as an authoritative scientific publication, but rather as a report currently drafted to support a predetermined policy.
Signed:
Elliott Jacobson, MS, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACZM
Professor of Zoological Medicine
University of Florida
Dale DeNardo, DVM, PhD
Associate Professor School of Life Sciences
Arizona State University
Paul M. Gibbons, DVM, MS, Dipl. ABVP (Avian)
President-Elect, Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians
Interim Regent, Reptiles & Amphibians, American Board of Veterinary Practitioners
Director, Exotic Species Specialty Service
Animal Emergency Center and Specialty Services
Chris Griffin, DVM, Dipl. ABVP (Avian)
President, Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians
Owner and Medical Director
Griffin Avian and Exotic Veterinary Hospital
Brady Barr, PhD
Resident Herpetologist
National Geographic Society
Endangered Species Coalition of the Council of State Governments
Crocodilian Specialist Group
Warren Booth, PhD
Invasive Species Biologist
Research Associate
North Carolina State University
Director of Science
United States Association of Reptile Keepers
Ray E. Ashton, Jr.
President
Ashton Biodiversity Research & Preservation Institute
Robert Herrington, PhD
Professor of Biology
Georgia Southwestern State University
Douglas L. Hotle
Curator of Herpetology/Conservation/Research
Natural Toxins Research Center
Texas A&M University
Francis L. Rose (Retired) , B.S., M.S. (Zoology), PhD (Zoology)
Professor Emeritus
Texas State University
Edward J. Wozniak DVM, PhD
Regional Veterinarian
Zoonosis Control Division
Texas Department of State Health Services
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Boas By Klevitz
Boas By Klevitz