assorted florida python stories

[Fuscus]

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/state/content/news/feeds/1012pythons.html

http://www.local10.com/news/5084770/detail.html

http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051012/NEWS/510120303/1021

http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/sports/12878532.htm

http://www.click2houston.com/family/5081164/detail.html

 

[herptrader]

Some interesting reading amongst this lot.

Me thinks they have a pretty major problem on their hands in Florida with the big burms.

There are some quite different perspectives in these articles. Some seem quite sensible and others... well the term hostile comes to mind:

Snakes are not the only reptiles that need a lot of thought before purchasing. Iguanas can grow to 4 to 5 feet long and need large enclosures. Ferrell suggests getting a bearded dragon instead, because they are content inside smaller tanks.

Assume such a snake is coiled beneath an automobile or in a mass of yard greenery. An adult is within 10- or 20-feet of a child when one of the big reptiles lunges from hiding. It locks its huge maw and teeth on the child's head and throws its coils around the body. Could that adult actually pry the snake off the child in time to save the child's life? Not likely.

Where does all this leave us? Hopefully without much sympathy for big exotic snakes. Know what is scary about this? There are probably folks scattered about the state right now who are aware of the growing number of big snakes prowling about and who are concerned civilization will begin harming the snakes?

http://www.click2houston.com/video/5081314/detail.html