Giant Pythons Invade!
Sounds like yet another awrful B horror movie doesn’t it? In this case - it really is an invasion - and it isn’t the first one!
The beautiful Florida Everglades seems to be the beachhead of choice for the invasion of exotic species. They don’t come in on spaceships, or mutate from radioactive waste though. Humans are the culprit here.
Humans have a tendency to buy a pet they think will be “really cool” without thoroughly examining the consequences. Like the eventual size and ferocity of the animal in question.
Spectacled Caimans are a Crocodilian species native to South America. If you are my age or older, you may remember those ads in the back of every comic book selling “baby alligators” as pets. Yeah, I wanted one, too. Those “baby alligators” were actually Spectacled Caimans, not American Alligators. But, like American Alligators, they really aren’t the best pet in the world.
Like most reptiles, they are never really “tame” in the way your dog or cat is tame. They may come to accept you and not bite you everytime you approach them, but they are essentially wild animals. If you have the knowledge, patience, and wisdom to accept that and to work at accomidating them in your lifestyle things are just fine.
Most people, however, buy them just to “be cool” and the next thing you know they have a three foot long Caiman who is quite dangerous to them and next to impossible for their owners to properly care for and house. Faced with what seems like an insurmountable problem, these are exactly the same sort of owners who will release this animal into the wild.
Depending on just where the owners do this - it is only the beginning of a new problem. If it is north of Florida, most likely the little Caiman will die in the first blast of winter. They are simply not adapted to survive winters in our temperate climate. However, if the Caiman is released in Florida - guess what? There are now live, breeding populations of the Spectacled Caiman confirmed in Florida.
It is now illegal to sell these “baby alligators” in the U.S. - but that’s a bit like closing the barn door after the horse is gone.
And now - Burmese Pythons are experiencing exactly the same thing.
Burmese Pythons actually make a good pet - if you like snakes and are prepared to make the effort to house and care for an animal that is likely to reach over 10 foot in length and live 20 years or more with good care. I like snakes myself, and have had several as pets, including a Burmese Python. But like the Spectacled Caiman, they are often purchased by someone because they think it is “cool” to have a snake, especially one with the potential to become so large. It is when they fulfill that potential that the problems begin.
Housing, feeding, and caring for a Burmese Python is really not that hard. I used to say I loved my snakes because they are the ultimate “low-maintanence pet”. Eat once a week, clean up once a week - don’t need to be walked, groomed, or even played with unless you just want to. All that is true, but snakes and other reptiles do have some special needs that must be addressed. And in the case of a large snake - the big stumbling block for most people is housing the animal.
Snakes can live happily in an aquarium with an appropriate lid, heating source, and water source. Various species have different requirements, but that’s the basics. The problem comes in when the snake reaches sizes of ten foot and more, and the average 10-gallon aquarium is no longer suitable housing. There is no standard suitable housing for such a large reptile that you can just walk in and purchase at the pet store. Most responsible snake owners will either build something customized to their own pet and living situation, or have a custom cage built. Those who were just in it for the “cool” factor get bored and release the snake “into the wild”.
And we get the same scenario as with the Caimans - either death in the first cold snap, or a surviving and sometimes even breeding population.
Now, the irresponsible sorts are shrugging and saying “so what”. The problem is that any time you introduce a new animal into an ecological system, you upset the system. Florida, with it’s forgiving and welcoming Everglades has a special problem with invasive exotics.
The Spectacled Caiman, a very similar species to the American Alligator, competes with the native Crocodilian on every level. The Burmese Python actually EATS young Alligators. This is just the tip of the iceberg as far as the effects of exotics taking up residence in the Everglades.
The moral of my story is please, think long and hard before you choose an exotic pet. Remember that just as with any pet, you must consider housing and caring for this animal for the entirety of their lifespan. This is true, of course, for any pet - even cats and dogs. But if you become unable to care for your dog, there are far more alternatives than if you become unable to care for your ten foot Burmese python.
Most of all, please do not release any non-native animal “into the wild”. Most likely, you are not doing the animal any favors - and you could be contributing to the destruction of our native ecology.
Blessedbe
Summer Fey Foovay
Filed under animals in the news, editorial rant, unusual pets, wildlife | Comment (1)
