EducationX2 Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 :blink::svengo::scared: If someone could come get me off my roof, that would be wonderful...... (I'm quite literally snake phobic. I have panic attacks and nightmares after seeing them on TV. I'm pretty sure I would drop dead at the site of a 17 ft long one of these things. Oh my gosh.) Am I safe in Maryland?????? And to think I was considering a grad school in Florida. Maybe not..... :leaving: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelBee Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 This is the closest that I could find. ;) YES!!! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 Actually, it is a pretty serious problem. When they get too big, many pet owners release them into the Everglades where they have no natural predators. As a result, they are taking over and killing off the wildlife that is indigenous to the area. People who own these snakes as pets really need to be more responsible. :) Beachy When I read the story it made me sad. And angry. Stupid people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubiac Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 The hunting idea is a good one, except it's the EVERGLADES, so (a) National Park, (b) inaccessible swamp wilderness! Apparently the pythons aren't just scary (I think they're slightly cool, but YMMV), they're eating every other species in sight--all the varmints are disappearing from the park, along with critters like foxes and raccoons. The Wikipedia article on this is pretty decent: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burmese_pythons_in_Florida If you have a NYer subscription, this article from 2009 is really great: Swamp Thing - Florida's Uninvited Predators Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awisha. Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 It's times like this that I am glad I live in Australia :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlmiraGulch Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 Ok, so I'll be the lone dissenter here. I hate that they killed this snake. I agree it shouldn't be in the wild as an invasive species, obviously, but once they found it they should have found a zoo or other conservation facility to house it. What a beautiful animal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 Actually, it is a pretty serious problem. When they get too big, many pet owners release them into the Everglades where they have no natural predators. As a result, they are taking over and killing off the wildlife that is indigenous to the area. People who own these snakes as pets really need to be more responsible. :) Beachy That may have been how they got there originally, but there are so many now that any irresponsible pet owners would be a drop in the bucket compared to their breeding capacity. However they seem to be all in South Florida/Everglades area. I haven't heard of any north of that found in the wild. Disney seems quite safe, for the moment! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 Ok, so I'll be the lone dissenter here. I hate that they killed this snake. I agree it shouldn't be in the wild as an invasive species, obviously, but once they found it they should have found a zoo or other conservation facility to house it. What a beautiful animal! There are no where NEAR enough spots in zoos and such to place these snakes. There are SO many of them. Often people try to give their pets to the zoos, but they are full and can't take them, and that is why they dump them. But as others said, the main issue now is the breeding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 I'll take 9 months of winter and a charging moose ANY DAY over that thing! God bless you tough gals who live down south :D! Yes, a thousand times, yes! And I thought I'd share a better picture of a little snake cake - I'm snake-o-phobic, and still liked this one. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 That may have been how they got there originally, but there are so many now that any irresponsible pet owners would be a drop in the bucket compared to their breeding capacity. The freeze in 2010 killed off a lot of them, but at the time, wildlife officials said it would only be a temporary thing. Apparently they made a comeback. And I thought I'd share a better picture of a little snake cake - I'm snake-o-phobic, and still liked this one. :D I like this one much better. Plus it looks delicious! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsrevmeg Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 It's times like this that I am glad I live in Australia :lol: I thought Australia was full of deadly animals. Or surrounded by them just off the coast. :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.