>>4) With the current python scare in the public psyche, surely many a harmless snake will be deliberately killed as a "Python".

Yes, and the unfortunate thing is that, ultimately, none of this would have ever happened had they been there in the first place, whether in the hands of irresponsible breeders or casual pet owners. Ultimately, the pet trade is responsible for their and hundreds of other exotic species establishments in South Florida. As the PBS video shows, they should have never left exotics alone in a reptile breeding warehouse during a hurricane. A no brainer. They should have been trucked out to a safer temporary location. Otherwise, of course, escapes would happen.

What's even scarier than the many a harmless snake being dispatched by many a well-meaning "python" killer are the certain possibilities of endangered fauna like American Crocs being wiped out by Nile Monitors...who again, wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the pet trade.

If you place great trust and enormous ecological responsibility on the shoulders of irresponsible people with unproven results, you get what you asked for. Pythons and other exotics should be regulated. (Note, I did not say "banned"...but certainly more regulated.)

It is something that the pet industry should have foreseen and self-regulated...but when you don't regulate yourself, you're left with the regulations that others decide...aka, the government proposing bans.

DR
Suboc.com

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