Florida was always known to be the only state with all four varieties of venomous snake known in US in residence. Now the pythons provide another reason to avoid Florida. That and all the two legged varieties that run elections.

Why not enact into law a regulation that all foreign predator species be neutered or spayed before importation to FL?

I really would hope that Burmese Pythons and their ilk could be outlawed as pets, so as to stop the kinds of ecological damage expounded upon in this article. If, however, Americans were more adventurous in their eating habits, they would find out that these snakes are quite edible & there's a lot of meat on a big one.

I would imagine there are no restrictions on killing them, so start predating on them & we can hopefully reduce their numbers.

The leather industry decimated Florida gators until they were listed as an endangered species. Seems like they could declare open season on the pythons. A 20 foot snake as wide as a dinner plate could probably make alot of boots and wallets.

Burmese pythons are great pets. I have owned a few over the years, the largest was about 14 feet and 90 pounds or so. They are generally docile and easy to care for (if you do not mind the size and cost of appropriate heating and dietary requirements). They can kill a person but it is rare, far less likely than a fatal dog attack. The few big constrictor deaths a year happen in residences, involve exceptionally irresponsible owners and, often, large quantities of adult beverages. I am unaware of any report of a constrictor related killing a stranger in the wild.

Bans on keeping them as pets may be well intended but based more in fear (Snakes on a plane! Snakes in my yard!) and ignorance and they never work. Burms are small and easy to transport as juviniles. They breed well in captivity and no one imports them anymore. There is an abundant supply for sale. They are popular. As a result, they are common in places that have tried bans. Registration makes more sense. It give some control and great opportunities for education. If we banned all "unnatutal" predators in a state like FL, we would also need to eliminate cats (ferral cats are a big issue for many bird species), many rodents (which attack eggs, nesting creatures, etc), huge numbers of fish species, and so on. It is silly.

...does Katherine Harris have an radio transmitter? (Not that I'm volunteering to find out, mind you...) Frankly, I've known a few pythons and they're better company and generally do less harm than Harris and her ilk.

On a serious note, good story on a serious problem.

There is no good justification for allowing exotic animals to be sold as pets. Very few people have the expertise or patience to keep these animals alive for long, much less give them a decent life. Aside from the issue of cruelty to animals, there are dangers to people and the environment, as this article shows.

If I had my druthers, the pet industry as a whole would be outlawed. There are countless animals, of many different species, available for adoption. Hundreds of thousands of pets die in shelters or on the streets every year. This tragedy is costly in terms of both lives and money; purposely breeding and selling yet more animals is the height of irresponsibility, and absolutely unethical.