Exotic Pets Getting Wilder in Florida Everglades

Most everyone has heard the stories about the various exotic pets that have been released into the wild in Florida. What many do not realize is that these former pets often elude capture and meet up with others of the same species. In some cases, they may even breed with other similar species that are normally found in Florida. These exotic pets are certainly on their way to having a very drastic effect upon the natural order of things in the Florida wilderness. Also, it appears that the exotic pet list is getting wilder by the day. Here is a look at various former exotic pets that have been confirmed to be loose in the Florida wilds:

Burmese pythons - Burmese pythons have long been known to be running wild through out the Everglades. These huge snakes are kept as pets until they become very large and unmanageable. Once this happens they are often released into the wild.

Reticulated Pythons - Reticulated pythons are among the largest snakes in the world. They are the longest snake in the world, and only the Anaconda gets heavier. Reticulated pythons are of particular concern, because they are fully capable of killing human beings as they get larger. While this is very rare, the danger still exists.

Green Mamba - There have been at least two reports of deadly African green mambas being found in the wild in Florida. One case involved a man being bitten. The green mamba is generally not as aggressive as their more famous cousins, the black mambas. Still, they are highly dangerous and deadly without immediate treatment after a bite.

Indian Cobra - Several Indian cobras have also been found in Florida over the past several years. The Indian cobra is among the more deadly snakes in the world.

Pacu - This is a large predatory aquarium fish that is found in the Amazon primarily. These are now being found in the water systems of Florida.

Mountain Lions - These large cats are being kept as pets in parts of Florida and have escaped. Some were never found.

Tegu - These are large carnivorous lizards that are found with regularity now in Florida.

Green Anaconda - This snake has been found twice over the last three years, including one that was nearly twelve feet long. Sounds like a big snake huh? Well, the get twice as big as that and even larger in some cases. This is the largest snake in the world, and among the more deadly if you happen upon it in the wrong circumstances.

These are only a few of the more unusual pets that have escaped into the Florida Wilderness. There are many others. One thing is for sure, the food chain in Florida has got to be changing.

Source:

"Exotic Pet Incidents in Florida", Animal Rights Florida