Many folks are speculating that a lot of these pythons seeking free PR in south Florida were once pets. As they grow, pythons become too much to handle, and their owners release them into the wild. Which really screws with the natural order of things around here. So if you have a python that is getting too big, don’t just show it the door. There are other alternatives.
At the risk of sounding like a shallow, money-grubbing, kiss ass (however true), why don’t you first try to sell it? It just so happens that one of the sponsors here at Sticks of Fire has a solution to your ever-expanding snake appetite quandary. Tampa4Sale.com will give you free ad space to sell your python. One of the categories is conveniently titled “Reptiles.”
Of course it works the other way as well. If you (or your neighbor?) have an overwhelming siamese cat dilemma, you can also find a python for sale. Just a suggestion.
Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog »
4 years ago
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Jeff
4 years ago
I understand the whole native, non-native thing. Really.
But why is it that when man introduces something that hasn’t lived in that region before – either accidentally or stupidly – it’s automatically dismissed as man affecting nature.
Yeah, well, nature affects nature, too. We’d have pythons and giraffes and elephants here if the continents hadn’t drifted. We’d have pterodactyls too if nature hadn’t screwed things up with an asteroid.
When did man existing in nature – and affecting nature – become unnatural?
Just asking. I really don’t have an axe to grind. It just seems that the question of native vs. non-native infers that humankind is somehow this inferior blight upon the planet that only mucks things up.
It also infers that snake owners are too stupid to control their pets. Shit happens. The world is an imperfect place.
I think it’s bigger news that there aren’t more “exotics” the Everglades after decades of importing every animal under the sun to the state.
tommy
4 years ago
Excellent points, Jeff.
The same could be said about any number of “save the (insert critter of the day)” programs. If they are going extinct, maybe they are supposed to be…
interesting thoughts…
Joe
4 years ago
geez, jeff. didn’t you see the matrix? man is a vi-rus. he only keeps consuming and destroying. or maybe a better citation would be the star trek prime directive. once these pythons are introduced into the wild..then we should allow nature to take its course? and, by the way, we did have elephants here (not sure about giraffes)…okay, i’m a dork.
Sandy
4 years ago
Sorry, Tommy, I disagree with Jeff’s “good points.” Totally against this sort of ridiculous “buy and release” program for reptile owners looking for the cool of a large snake…until they can’t handle it anymore. They are worth less the bigger they get so selling a large python would be pretty difficult.
I’ve lived in Z-hills 5 years and in that time we have taken in 2 iguanas found many miles apart. One poor guy had his dewlap slit and tail totally dropped after what looked to be a cat attack. He looks like some hobo-homeless lizard. But what does this tell you about them breeding in the wild? That they probably are.
Hell we even have monitor lizards roaming around Coral Springs (or wherever it was, a story this past week in the Trib). Either take responsibility and keep the cool pet you got or do the right thing and take a whole second to look up the myriad rescues available. This is Florida, not the Amazon (or wherever).
And I’ll betcha there’s tons of crazy sh** in the Everglades!