Florida FWC votes to ban ‘high-risk’ reptiles as snake lovers protest and beg for mercy
Jim Waymer, Florida Today
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Python Bowl kicks off Friday in Florida Everglades
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Thursday voted unanimously for a set of rules that would ban owning or breeding six types of pythons, the green anaconda and nine other “high-risk” reptiles, News 6 partner Florida Today reports.
The upshot of the ruling means that your pet tegu can live out the rest of its lizard days in Florida, but don’t expect to buy a new one after that. Same goes for the other “high-risk” reptiles that biologists see as ecological terrorists, but enthusiasts love as scaly family members.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Thursday voted unanimously for a set of rules that would ban owning or breeding six types of pythons, the green anaconda and nine other high-risk reptiles.
The upshot of the ruling means that your pet tegu can live out the rest of its lizard days in Florida, but don t expect to buy a new one after that. Same goes for the other high-risk reptiles that biologists see as ecological terrorists, but enthusiasts love as scaly family members.
The new rules would, eliminate commercial breeding and pet ownership of 16 high-risk reptiles; put the high-risk reptiles on the state s prohibited species list, and limiting possession to permitted facilities engaged in educational exhibition, research or eradication or control activities.
Snake-pocalypse ? Florida plans ban on owning pythons, many other high-risk reptiles Jim Waymer, Florida Today
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BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – If wildlife officials get their way later this month, Florida will ban owning or breeding six types of pythons, the green anaconda and nine other high-risk reptiles.
Biologists say the scaly subjects of their prohibition wreak ecological mayhem by swallowing native birds, mammals as large as deer, and in the Burmese python s case, also spread a foreign parasite that chokes native pygmy rattlesnakes to death.
But serpent lovers and critics of the proposal say the move is nothing less than a state-orchestrated snake-pocalypse targeting their pets and businesses. They argue the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission lacks science to justify the ban, is biased against their trade, and has much bigger exotic fish and invasive species to fry than snakes kept by hobbyists.
Burmese pythons and the other 15 exotic species are a threat to Florida’s ecology, economy and human health and safety, the Florida Wildlife Commission says.
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