Florida Residents need to push for better laws.

Since I posted the findings of our trip to south Florida, I got a responce on Indigosforever from a gentlemen that actually lives in Florida.

He brought up some great points about salvaging the indigo breeding stock on land destined to develop. I know some people may not have the interest since the laws only allow out-of-staters to possess and breed indigos. It would make me down-right mad myself. Seems like the only people that are told "no" are people with active interests, others can do what they want as long as they are not a part of the "interested group". Anyway it seems to me this is an issue for people from Florida and or wherever the indigos exist but Florida seems to be developing at the fastest rate. If Florida fish and game were approached on the basis of a group interested in re-locating indigos from land being cleared would they respond with a permit to "salvage" specimens and at the very least turn them over to the Fish and Wildlife or give permission to release them in an area that is protected with good habitat?

Has anyone from Florida approached them with a citizens group monitoring land in their area and when it is seen that the bulldozers are moving, someone can call in and alert them.

From some of the items listed on the Florida Fish and Game web-site they have incentives for land owners to cooperate with them. I would think their plan for saving the indigo would include monitoring private land development but maybe it is just to big for them to monitor it. If the land owner does not alert them, it can be all over in a couple of days and the damage is done.

Anyway just some food for thought. Non-residents are not really in a position to monitor land and of course cannot mobilize quickly enough to help with a salvage operation for breeding stock. I would love to help out but it needs to be organized from within the State itself. Also non-residents have 0 political pull with another State government.

Florida has done a great job of reclaiming land for the Big Cypress and Everglades park and have a lot of land set aside. It seems to me with some effort they could extend the effort to re-locating these soon to be "homeless" or smashed indigos to a suitable breeding program "in-state" or a release site.

Hell it was captive breeding that saved the alligator, why not the indigo.

Let's here from the Florida Indigo gurus!

wlamore

If I rem correctly, it's been said that relocating adults snakes doesn't work, as they are invading the territory of other adult snakes. I'd think that putting them into captive breeding might be a better bet. Maybe a split percentage wise.
I'm in a more northern region, and a friend HAS a breeding indigo on her property. It's over 2 hours from me, so I haven't made it out to try a sighting and confirm the idendity. She SAID that a Fish and Wildlife officier saw it, photographed it and told her the cautions of them being protected etc. But she lies... a lot. Anyway. I'm hopeful at the wild population, even if a lot of florida is being developed. I still think that captive breeding is a good fallback.
And just for the record, I don't think the alligator was EVER in danger, and I don't recall anyone saying that captive breeding brought it back. I've lived here all my life. My family has been native here for generations. No one has ever seen s shortage of alligators. I think maybe people were lousy at counting them.
Wolfy

I think this could be handled a better way than how the state is doing it now.

My thought.

Allow people to own and breed them by permit.

The money from the permits can buy land to help protect the snake.

I don't have the perfect answer but something needs to be done. If we can't save the wild population at least let the people insure its survival. Do we really want Indigos to be seen only in a ZOO? We can allow breeding and ownership of this snake and its numbers will go up.

We domesticate many animals that you normally don't see in the wild. Chickens, Cows, horses and so on. Sure you have pockets of wild animals I guess but for the most part they are domesticated. We can do the same with Indigos. Try to save to wild Indigos as we do everything else but support captive breeding so the demand goes down and the numbers of Indigos go up!!!

Normally native species are illegil to own because there is a higher incedance of people snatching them out of the wild rather than buying one. Someone just two days ago told me "I saw a cornsnake for sale for $20 and that's sill! I'll just go CATCH ONE if I want to keep one". Extend that to Indigos, and they will soon be snagged up.
There are no wild chickens in the US. You saw FERAL chickens. Chickens are native only to one small area in Asia I believe(don't quote me, it could be india... or africa, it's been a long weekend).
I'm disappointed I can't keep indigos, but I do understand the risks.
I think that if someone can contact the authorites and remove indigos from areas about to be developed, then put those into captive breeding situations, that would be a good solution. Indigos should also be transported to areas that are already designated wildlife protection areas.
Another issue is that massive amount of "wildlife protection" areas are regularly logged and are nothing more than planted pine. That's not a good area for wildlife, unless you only count deer.
The fact is that everywhere in the US, money talks. If there was a small group spearheaded by an experianced person, we might get mroe done. I'm only a small breeder of ball pythons, but I'd contribute if I could help. I do know of at least one breeding female indigo, who has hatched one good clutch, babies were observed. That's a good sign, since we all know for every snake seen in the wild, there are many that are never observed.
Keep on it, and maybe we can all end up working towards the common goal of keeping the indigo heathy in the wilds where it belongs.
Wolfy

One of the problems I heard was when catching Indigo's and moving them some place else that many times it was in another Indigo's territory. We all know how that will go.

I'm just frustrated is all about this topic. I understand about going out and finding one than buying one. On the other hand I did catch a corn the other day but a week later let him go knowing I am buying one this year..