U.S. closes door to four snake species

[Lepisosteus platyrhincus]

Im happy about this. Like I need to see another reddish egret or night heron stuffed halfway down a burmese python in the glades.

This WILL NOT GET RID OF ANIMALS IN THE GLADES(which came from a road side zoo, released from a hurricaine) That has to be one of the dumbest posts ever.

What hurricane? I was always under the idea that people released the snakes and since Florida has mostly nice and humid weather, it was perfect breeding ground.

I do think some animals do not belong in the pet trade. Burms are one of them. I also don't think we need pangasius cats at Petsmart for $5 or common plecos.

Andrew. And who are you to say who can handle what? There are a TON of people who can and do raise many exotic and dangerous animals such as burms. In fact, more people are injured from dogs and more evironmental damage come from cats then these snakes ever could.
Never mind the fact that private keepers have less problems(injurys, escapes etc) than zoos per capita.

 

[jworth]

Im happy about this. Like I need to see another reddish egret or night heron stuffed halfway down a burmese python in the glades.

Your logic is flawed. If they were going to ban they should have acted quicker. There is a well established and breeding population, nothing will help it at this point. Your birds will continue to be eaten and the snakes are there to stay.

 

[Wiggles92]

I know plenty of people who can handle Burmese pythons and other large and/or dangerous snakes; these snakes are not super dangerous provided that you handle them often when they're small, keep them well-fed (but not overfed), and can handle something of that size that's made of pretty much pure muscle.

Case in point, I have a friend who breeds ball pythons and a few other species, and he keeps a pair of burms. The female is like a huge puppy and is very docile; she's been handled often and kept well-fed since she was a baby. On the other hand, the male is fairly mean because he was rarely handled and was underfed as a young snake by his previous owner (he was a rescue).

As you can see, it really comes down to the owner for their temperament 99% of the time; they can be "tamed" to a certain degree with very little work. It all comes down to whether you're willing to put in a few minutes each day to handle them when they're little (or a bit longer on a less frequent schedule) and if you're going to feed them properly.

 

[black_sun]

To each their own, but I get a little annoyed with people who want to say what others can and can't own (or handle). I mean, I'm 100% for a (new) permit, licensing and monitoring system for certain animals but not outright banning (save for endangered or compromised species in which it would affect them). And I'm 100% for nailing anyone's ass to the wall who is caught releasing ANY animal into the wild. But I don't think anyone has the right to tell me or anyone else what I can and can't have or handle. Besides, if we're going to start banning things... let's go with dogs, cats, horses, cows, etc. Things that have been known to have caused more human injuries/deaths and damage to the environment than these snakes.

Hell, my 17yr old cat has done more physical harm to me than any of my reptiles (which includes LARGE constrictors, monitors and tegus), and her alone, geez... the animals she killed when she was an outdoor cat.

I don't know, I just see this as the beginning... so many states are already trying to pass laws against owning, buying, selling, etc a vast majority of reptiles (and other things). It's just going to start to cascade into more bans and restrictions.

 

[Wiggles92]

To each their own, but I get a little annoyed with people who want to say what others can and can't own (or handle). I mean, I'm 100% for a (new) permit, licensing and monitoring system for certain animals but not outright banning (save for endangered or compromised species in which it would affect them). And I'm 100% for nailing anyone's ass to the wall who is caught releasing ANY animal into the wild. But I don't think anyone has the right to tell me or anyone else what I can and can't have or handle. Besides, if we're going to start banning things... let's go with dogs, cats, horses, cows, etc. Things that have been known to have caused more human injuries/deaths and damage to the environment than these snakes.

Hell, my 17yr old cat has done more physical harm to me than any of my reptiles (which includes LARGE constrictors, monitors and tegus), and her alone, geez... the animals she killed when she was an outdoor cat.

I don't know, I just see this as the beginning... so many states are already trying to pass laws against owning, buying, selling, etc a vast majority of reptiles (and other things). It's just going to start to cascade into more bans and restrictions.

I would be fine with a permit system provided that permits were actively issued on a regular basis and the money accrued from the permits was used for running the permit system and for legitimate conservation efforts (and maybe a regional venom bank system in the case of hots). Florida really seems to have it right in this regard because you need a permit for hots and most large snakes (to my understanding), and they issue those permits as needed; of course then, this only serves to further infuriate me that they still pushed for this ban when they already have imposed control over these snakes in their state anyway.

 

[sbuse]

f the government, f PETA, and f all who think they can tell me what i can and can't do. i say have them come knock on my door and try to take anything i have or will have. they will be met at the door by hevaily armed man that is 6'5" and 300lbs. i will tell them where they can go and how to get there.

the word of the lord, thanks be to scott!

 

[Wiggles92]

f the government, f PETA, and f all who think they can tell me what i can and can't do. i say have them come knock on my door and try to take anything i have or will have. they will be met at the door by hevaily armed man that is 6'5" and 300lbs. i will tell them where they can go and how to get there.

the word of the lord, thanks be to scott!

Agreed, right down to the tall heavily armed man aspect.

The only thing I'd be fine with them regulating as far as pets go is what you can and can't release.

 

[jpstodwftexas]

The law will only drive people to illegally obtain the Animals.
Raise the price on the species..encouraging illegal wild collecting.
Illegal Breeders will sale to people under the counter, Underground breeders will sale to anyone responsible or not.

Like has already been stated Banning them will not stop the wild populations from harming the native species..Only Hunting them down in the glades will.

We can not blame every single wild Snake on a Single source. We can not prove that they all came from a roadside park. I am sure there were many released by owners, many escaped from cages and slithered away, many came in on boats and cargo ships.

 

[Wiggles92]

Raising the price on them is unnecessary and will have the same result as the ban: People will release the snakes except it will be because no one can afford them or will want to pay that much for them.

I'd rather kill my non-native animals or rehome them instead of releasing them into the wild; that's a far more responsible choice that just setting them loose. Then again, some people are just too dumb, too pathetic, too lazy and/or grossly misinformed to actually properly get rid of an unwanted animal instead of releasing it.

The introduced population has been mainly traced to that zoo; there are some that were former pets (namely the morph ones), but the vast majority are from the zoo. Granites and leopards are the only morphs that have a good chance of surviving in the wild here anyway, and leopards are a bit expensive to be releasing; anything other morph (albino, green, etc.) would be pretty screwed because of their coloration and pattern (or lack thereof).

 

[TaratronVaeVictus]

You're totally right, Lepisosteus, I have no idea how many people obtain or care for their pets. I DO know that when I worked at the local zoo, every week we would get a list of people wanting to donate their animals. Macaws, small conures, mice (mice? What the hell?) but 99% of the animals listed were Burmese pythons, anacondas, and green iguanas. But that's just in Arizona. Who knows, maybe in other states no one is trying to rehome large animals that they haven't handled or fed properly in years.

I would be fine with people needing permits for large snakes and lizards, but then again I think most people need a license to be able to have children or have pets period. But hey, that's probably because I am close contacts with an animal rescue and too often the pets are throwaway for the next cute and tiny one.