I wonder what they will....

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
I have a friend that was thinking of getting into breeding exotic pythons. He was showing me some snakes that cost over 10 grand. Think if I caught one of those out there I would not be killing it or showing it to the judges ;)
 
Personally, I think that any animal that is unfortunate to become classed as a pest should be culled humanely and efficiently. Having an open season invite to a killing contest is simply barbaric.
With a bit of luck, some of the bigger snakes will score a couple of goals before they get completely exterminated.
I'm willing to bet that man has a more damaging effect on the area than the snakes. But hey, that's just my opinion:wink:
 
Man was the one that caused the problem to begin with. Releasing animals that are not indigenous to an area into the wild is just plain dumb!

Not endorsing or condeming Florida's action here, I'm just saying...
 
They do this with Coyotes around here. I understand the motivations behind such things, as humans wiped out all but a few of the large predators, but, IMO, there seems to be something ethically wrong with the way these are handled.
 
I know this may sound terrible, but the pythons really must go. They are wrecking the glades and the marsh area habitats. If my information is correct (from a fish and wildlife officer that works Okefenokee Swamp here) the Pythons were released by folks that bought them as pets and couldn't afford to feed them as they grew. SO, then they released the into a Federally protected and very delicate Eco system.They are distroying everything.
 
If the hunters are truely hunters they will kill them the most humane way possible. They don't want to chase the thing across the swamp. Making a contest out of it brings in more people without the gov. spending a huge chunk of money to control or fix a problem. Don't get me wrong I don't like cruelty to animals but the snakes are not supposed to be there so its taking its toll on all the ones that are native to the area.
 
I'm not sure how I feel about the method, but something must be done about the problem. I'm hopeing more good will come of this than bad. Luckily the only pets turned pests I've run into in FL are iguanas.
 
This really became an epidemic after a big Hurricane went through the area years ago (forget which one) and the pythons from exotic breeders were set free in the storm and aftermath. It is not just individuals letting pets go that caused the problem but an influx of hundreds of breeders all at once that just overwhelmed the ecosystem and it has escalated from there. There really has to be a solution and I think they are desperate. Too bad most of the skins will be wasted.

Krista GG
 
I don't understand the taking exception to the method. They are having a hunt to cull the population. Hunting is a humane method of managing the population of a species (one that shouldn't be there in the first place). If the population is too great, the overflow has to go somewhere. It isn't like the species is in danger of being wiped out as these are mostly the type that are bred enough. T raping and catching them to release elsewhere doesn't solve the problem as much as it just transfers it to somewhere else.

Skiprat does have a point. It wouldn't be so much a problem if man hadn't introduced these species into the area.

It's just like wild boar in my area. They are causing so much problem that you now are allowed to hunt them as long as you have at least a small game licenses. The only way to erradicate a species is to eradicate it. If there were an area where it had died out, then the ecosystem in that are would have already adjusted. That's just the way nature works. One species goes away, and another takes it place to make up for the loss. The whole ecosystem is set in motion by it.
 
There have been a couple of instances where pet pythons have escaped their enclosures and killed small children in their beds. They are destroying the ecological balance of the everglades. The bigger ones even attack and kill domestic animals. A 20 footer could easily kill an adult human.
 
Longfellow said:
There have been a couple of instances where pet pythons have escaped their enclosures and killed small children in their beds. They are destroying the ecological balance of the everglades. The bigger ones even attack and kill domestic animals. A 20 footer could easily kill an adult human.
Click to expand...

Yep, when I worked in a TV newsroom, there was a little girl in the neighboring county killed in her sleep by one that was found attempting to eat her. Kill 'em all, I say.
 
All pythons harvested during the Python Challenge must be turned over to scientists for study. The Python Challenge is more about data gathering and creating a public awareness of the problem than it is about wiping out Pythons.

Hunters can request that the skins are returned to them after the scientists finish with the pythons.

Several firms have already lined up with offers to (A) buy any skins any hunter wants to sell (B) provide tanning / fabrication services for the hunters (C) provide tanning chemicals and DIY advice for those who want to tan their own skins. Hard to imagine that any python skin will be wasted.

The python meat will likely not be used because it is loaded with mercury and not considered safe to eat.

Pythons are not being tortured by a bloodthirsty mob of barbarians roaming the wetlands in a blood lust. They are killed as quickly as possible when they are found. Primarily because several hundred pounds of angry python is not something you want thrashing about trying to kill you any longer than necessary. Those without the skill to quickly kill a python won't have the skill to find one either. It's a very stealthy animal well suited to the very difficult terrain.

The current Python Challenge (which has been in all the news) has been on for 10 days. 1,000 hunters covering millions of acres that are estimated to have anywhere from 10,000 to 100,000 pythons have managed to find and kill 27 pythons so far.

Vast areas of the Everglades have seen their native population (deer, bobcats, foxes, rabbits, raccoons, possums, various birds and on and on and on) wiped out by the pythons. The pythons are even eating the gators now. The snakes are increasingly moving into urban areas in search of food (dogs, cats, children).

It's a problem that needs solving. Hunting won't be the solution. Perhaps something learned by the scientists studying the specimens harvested during the hunt will be.

Nature is brutal. Being slowly crushed to death by a python is not pleasant for the prey. When animals kill other animals (or just eat them alive) it is never pleasant or pretty. Humans killing pythons is not going to be pleasant or pretty no matter how it is done. For a lot of reasons the hunters are motivated to make the kill as quick as possible. For those bothered by the thought of a python suffering as it is quickly killed, perhaps you can instead think about all the furry little mammals that will be saved from a slow, painful, horrible future death by the dead python.

Ed
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom