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ORLANDO SENTINEL (Florida) 29 December 09 Our take on: Snake sniveling
Dealers in dangerous non-native snakes are hissing about Florida Sen. Bill Nelson's proposal to ban importing and selling the creatures.
Mr. Nelson's bill would apply to nine specie of snakes, including Burmese pythons. Thousands of those pythons, which can grow to 20 feet long and 200 pounds, have infested the Everglades.
The senator's proposal also would target anacondas and boa constrictors, other exotic snakes well-suited to thrive in Florida's climate if — as with the pythons — they escape or are released into the wild by their owners.
Snake dealers complain that the ban would put the bite on their business. But any hardship for them is far outweighed by the damage the snakes do to native species, including mammals, birds and reptiles. Let's not forget the 2-year-old Sumter County girl killed in her crib this year by her family's python.
Congress needs to pass Mr. Nelson's bill, and snake dealers need to stick to native species.
Our take on: Snake sniveling

NP.

I believe the local herp society has targeted this paper and the one in St Pete for reporting erroneous herp related articles.

I wish a better qualified coronor had inspected the little girl who was killed, to prove the snake didn't kill her.