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News of the Very Scary:
May. 29th, 2009 12:17 amI know I've been posting a lot of animal related news lately, but they really do seem to be taking over the world. And as usual, it's all our fault. I would find it both ironic and hilarious if we ended up wiping ourselves out, leaving the planet to the animals. I don't just mean rats* and cockroaches. I mean the cool animals.
Earlier this week, someone on my flist referred in passing to idiot reptile owners. As a snake enthusiast and former owner of a yellow anaconda, I immediately leapt to the defense of fellow herpers. Then today, I was greeted by news of something awful happening in Florida, the root of which is 100% the result of irresponsible reptile ownership. So, I must now feast on my own words. It has been proven that there are many irresponsible herpers in the world, and their carelessness and apathy are causing havoc aplenty in the great state of "America's Wang."
Florida Everglades overrun with Burmese Pythons..you read that right, Burmese Pythons. As if that weren't bad enough, there are also "two thriving colonies" of Nile Monitor Lizards which are huge. Obviously, Burmese Pythons and Nile Monitors are both very popular animals among herpers. People buy them, then release them into the "wild" when they get too big. Zoos generally will not take them; and with plenty of room they get whomping, whomping huge. Males of both of these species can get rather aggressive once they reach maturity, even though the Burmese is considered fairly docile as pythons go. They still attack their humans every now and again.
As Marge Simpson would say, "I'm very disappointed and terrified."
And of course, Florida Fish and Game really has no choice but to kill all the snakes they can catch. Even in the Everglades, you can't have 15 foot pythons all wild everywhere. Fish and Game also thinks that big snakes might kill the endangered panthers. I have a hard time envisioning that, frankly. But I suppose anything is possible.
*No offense to rat enthusiasts is intended!
Earlier this week, someone on my flist referred in passing to idiot reptile owners. As a snake enthusiast and former owner of a yellow anaconda, I immediately leapt to the defense of fellow herpers. Then today, I was greeted by news of something awful happening in Florida, the root of which is 100% the result of irresponsible reptile ownership. So, I must now feast on my own words. It has been proven that there are many irresponsible herpers in the world, and their carelessness and apathy are causing havoc aplenty in the great state of "America's Wang."
Florida Everglades overrun with Burmese Pythons..you read that right, Burmese Pythons. As if that weren't bad enough, there are also "two thriving colonies" of Nile Monitor Lizards which are huge. Obviously, Burmese Pythons and Nile Monitors are both very popular animals among herpers. People buy them, then release them into the "wild" when they get too big. Zoos generally will not take them; and with plenty of room they get whomping, whomping huge. Males of both of these species can get rather aggressive once they reach maturity, even though the Burmese is considered fairly docile as pythons go. They still attack their humans every now and again.
As Marge Simpson would say, "I'm very disappointed and terrified."
And of course, Florida Fish and Game really has no choice but to kill all the snakes they can catch. Even in the Everglades, you can't have 15 foot pythons all wild everywhere. Fish and Game also thinks that big snakes might kill the endangered panthers. I have a hard time envisioning that, frankly. But I suppose anything is possible.
*No offense to rat enthusiasts is intended!
