Python Attack: Peril of Invasive Species

Non-Native Species' Danger to People, Wildlife and Habitat Are Focus of Proposed Import Ban

(AP)  A pet Burmese python broke out of a glass cage last week and strangled to death a 2-year-old girl in her Florida bedroom.

The tragedy was the latest and most graphic example of a problem that has plagued the state for more than a decade: a non-native species that is wreaking havoc in the Everglades, threatening the environment, native wildlife and people.

"It's just a matter of time before one of these snakes gets to a visitor in the Florida Everglades," said Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla.

Nelson has introduced a bill to ban imports of the snakes, after years of trying to persuade federal wildlife officials to restrict their entry into the country.

Nelson was one of several senators who warned about the threat of invasive species at a hearing Wednesday.

From a mysterious fungus attacking bats in the Northeast to zebra mussels in the Great Lakes and snakehead fish in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, native wildlife is facing new threats nationwide.

Lawmakers are considering a variety of measures to address the problem, including a bill that would require cargo ships to discharge ballast water to ensure that invasive species do not attach themselves to their hulls. Most invasive species enter the country through oceangoing vessels.

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., said he supports a strong national standard for ballast water treatment that would remain in place for several years, giving ship owners time to develop new technology. Levin also supports a ban on imports of Asian carp, but said the aquatic species plaguing Michigan are no match - in size anyway - for the Burmese python, which can grow to 18 feet and has been known to eat alligators and even deer.

"I'm glad this damn python is a long way from where I live," Levin said, eyeing large photos that showed the python in all its menace. The photos were displayed at a hearing conducted by two Senate Environment and Public Works subcommittees.

Burmese pythons are native to southeast Asia, but they survive easily in Florida's warm, moist climate.

Some owners have freed the fast-growing pythons into the wild and a population of them has taken hold in the Everglades. Scientists also speculate that a bevy of Burmese pythons escaped in 1992 from pet shops battered by Hurricane Andrew and have been reproducing ever since.

Lawmakers also discussed the fungus killing Northeastern bats. Since it was discovered in a cave in upstate New York in 2007, the so-called white-nose syndrome has spread to 65 caves in nine states, and killed at least 500,000 bats.

(Left: An Indiana bat, dead of white nose syndrome due to a bat-killing fungus, is shown in an abandoned mine in Rosendale, N.Y. in February 2009.)

The disease now spreads from Virginia to Vermont and could expand across the country, officials said.

[thommorin]

put a bounty on their head and see how fast they disapear

[Sloughfoot]

Best comment on the page. Unfortunately some Red Neck would figure out a way to mass produce these suckers in his rusted out still and we've have more than when we started. But it was a good idea non the less

[practicaladvice]

This snake is a threat to people living and visiting Florida. It is an unnatural additional species that does not belong there. If Florida makes efforts to eradicate this dangerous and life threatening snake, which I hope it would, there is still a large population of them in Berma, where they originated. From a business perspective this exremely detrimental to the tourist industry, especially since many visit Florida for its outdoor activities. Kiss camping goodbye in Southern Florida.

[erasmus111]

"A pet Burmese python broke out of a glass cage last week and strangled to death a 2-year-old girl in her Florida bedroom."


It says that the snake BROKE OUT of a glass cage. Does that mean it broke the glass? Wouldn't someone have heard it?

I guess what I'm trying to figure out is, where were the parents? We are talking about a 2 year old child. Why was this child left unattended?

It's like I said before, parents need to start being held responsible for their stupidity.

[gramto8]

Erasmus,

It was 'unattended' because it was in the middle of the night. At two years of age, she was old enough to not sleep in her parents' room. I am not excusing the parents for having the snake in the house to start with, but don't go blaming them for not being in attendance.

[erasmus111]

by gramto8 July 8, 2009 6:27 PM PDT
Erasmus,

It was 'unattended' because it was in the middle of the night.


Sorry, I didn't remember reading anything where it said it was at night.

[erasmus111]

Actually, if I had a PYTHON, my door and my kids door would be closed at night. I don't believe in taking chances.

[gramto8]

There would not BE a python in my house. If I knew there was one in it, the thing could HAVE my house! ;-\

[dragyn30]

This boils down to irresponsible pet owners and stupid parents!!!

You know the type of parent I am talking about - they are the idiots who buy their kids a snake figuring it will be easy for them to take care of and then they either get bored or squeamish about feeding snakes live food and their solution is to take it to a park or some open area and let it go. They don't care as long as the snake is not their problem any more, it is now the neighbors.

A lot of idiots get the big snake because they think its cool to watch them eat live prey, but when the snake is 12ft long and more than 150lbs, guess what? the prey needs to get bigger to satisfy their appetite! cats, dogs, other animals and yup! small children!!

I love all kinds of animals, but I agree that the import of exotics should be banned!

[quickly101]

Pythons should not be imported into this country period. Zoos should have a breeding stock on hand by now to maintain their exhibits. If they don't tough. The fish and game agency in Florida should move to eradicate them yesterday, if not sooner. If I ever see one in the wild and I have a gun its history. I urge all the hunters in Florida to do the same.

[Charlieot2]

quickly101...
Please provide some sort of logical, fact-based argument to support your contention that python importation should be banned. If you can find a single case of a death (or even injury to someone other than a handler) in the United States from a wild python (or any wild non-native snake), I'll accept your position as valid without any other substantiation. If not, I challenge you to do some objective reading on the subject and draw your conclusions without influence of the dramatic headlines used to entice readers and viewers to the daily news.

[lloydbest1]

To Charlieot2:

"Burmese Pythons in South Florida: Scientific Support for Invasive Species Management" by Rebecca G. Harvey, Matthew L. Brien, Michael S. Cherkiss, Michael Dorcas, Mike Rochford, Ray W. Snow, and Frank J. Mazzotti. This is a good write up justifying the ban on importation of Burmese Pythons to the United states and the eradication those that have established themselves in Florida. They have data that document the destructive impact these animals already have on south Florida's ecology. The largest any of them that have been found thus far in the state is about 16 feet but they have a potential maximum size of about 25 to 27 feet. The only reason we don't have any that size is the population hasn't been established here long enough for any of them to grow that big.
The Invasive Species Specialist Group which monitors all invasive species world wide considers the Burmese python a serious invasive pest. They are a problem in Puerto Rico as well. Here's what they have to say about its ecological impacts:
"The Burmese python threatens native species of amphibians, birds, lizards, snakes, and bats introduced ranges by predation, competition, and disease transmission. This species also represents a threat to humans, particularly small children, to pet animals, and is known to damage agricultural activities, such as chicken farms. Worldwide, there are documented attacks of adult pythons on full-grown pigs, goats, caimans and even pet-owners. In Puerto Rico there are concerns that Burmese python may outcompete the two native boa species: the Puerto Rican boa (see Epicrates inornatus in IUCN Red List of Threatened Species), the Mona Island boa (Epicrates monensis monensis), and the Virgin Islands boa (Epicrates monensis granti) which are smaller in size than the Burmese python (Pitt and Witmer, 2007; Reed , 2005)."

I'm not much into emotional arguements either, but there are good sound reasons why we should take the presence of the Python in Florida as a serious ecological threat.

[alwaysplayitsafe]

to: Charlieot2 I believe logic says we do not need the python, If you can give one good reason other than someone's financial gain, do so please.

[talk_down_2_you]

Cyber, there are plenty of threats including various plants and insects that don't yet have a foothold here. You have to start a common sense approach to this at some point, something the congress seems to be trying to do now. I think we should consider ecporting people who think that importing these kinds of threats is a great business opportunity for their crumby pet shops.

[cyberus-2009]

Import ban = too little too late.

Like the article says they have already established themselves in the wild

[Charlieot2]

Cyberus...
There are "invasive" species everywhere, some good some bad. The reality is there have been no reported deaths from wild pythons in the United States. While there is a breeding population in the Everglades, the fat is tahat the tragedy in Florida had no relationship to any invasive species law. There has also never been a death reported in the US from an escaped captive snake (the only deaths from captive snakes have been to either the keeper or someone whose access to the snake was directly controlled by the keeper); never has an innocent bystander (although it is admittedly hard to put a 2 year-old in any other category) been killed. In this case, the death was due to someone carelessly (and apparently illegally)keeping a potentially lethal animal in a fashion that led to this child's death.
As sad as this situation is, the reality is that a child in the United States is more likely to die from a bee sting than from a captive or wild snake, native or non-native.
The "problem" cited in the article, as applied to exotic snakes in general, and pythons in particular, is a gross overstatement mainly used as a scare tactic because of most people's fear of snakes.