The Burmese Python in Florida

Imagine a creature 23 feet long that weighs 200 pounds and can swim for 30 minutes without coming up for air. Now imagine that same creature loose in your town. Sound like material for a nightmare? There are more than 10,000 Burmese pythons loose in the Florida Everglades, surviving on small mammals and birds. Most are not as large as this example, but many are more than 8 feet long.

Recently several have been spotted in the Florida Keys. This means they would have had to swim for six miles! A task force has been established in the Keys and given the job of spotting and catching these wayward snakes. There are trained people whose jobs bring them out on the roads frequently, ready to keep an eye out and report snakes. Then specially trained handlers are sent to catch and remove them.

The Burmese python is native to Southeast Asia and has established a population in Florida as a result of careless and irresponsible pet owners. Beautiful and plentiful in pet stores, Burmese Pythons are a popular pet with reptile lovers. However they are not for the inexperienced as they grow rapidly to unmanageable size and can easily escape less than perfect enclosures. Many owners have been known to release an overgrown pet into the wild. New laws require new exotic snake owners to pay a $100 registration fee and have a chip inserted into the snake. This would allow snakes captured in the wild to be traced back to the owners.

Owners who can no longer care for a snake that has become too large or costly have some options.

• Ask the store where you purchased it if they can take it back or if they know of a home willing to take it
• Check around yourself for someone qualified to adopt it
• Ask your vet about euthanasia
• Find a pet amnesty day in your area. There are some coming up for Florida snakes. Here is a schedule.

• Oct. 3, 2009 - Gatorland, Orlando
*We will be accepting Reptiles of Concern only at this special amnesty day event.

• Nov. 7, 2009 - Busch Gardens, Tampa

• Feb. 6, 2010 - Miami MetroZoo

• Sept. 25, 2010 - Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, Jacksonville

At amnesty day they will take your unwanted pet, have a professional examine it to be sure it is healthy and make every effort to place healthy snakes in good homes. Preventing the problem in the first place by educating prospective snake owners about the drawbacks of owning exotic pets like the Burmese pythons is a step in the right direction. If you are considering purchasing a snake, be sure to do your homework. Know how large the snake will get, how often and what it will eat, what kind of enclosure is needed to keep it secure and most important, how to handle it safely and humanely.