Fla. Senate nixes bill that would have tighten rules on non-native reptiles - FaunaClassifieds
FaunaClassifieds  
  Tired of those Google and InfoLink ads? Upgrade Your Membership!
  Inside FaunaClassifieds » Photo Gallery  
 

Go Back   FaunaClassifieds > Reptile & Amphibian - General Discussion Forums > Herps In The News

Notices

Herps In The News Local or national articles where reptiles or amphibians have made it into the news media. Please cite sources.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 05-04-2006, 01:20 AM   #1
Clay Davenport
Fla. Senate nixes bill that would have tighten rules on non-native reptiles

TALLAHASSEE · Your right to buy a Burmese python remains undiminished in Florida.

A bill to tighten rules on owning and releasing non-native reptiles failed Tuesday when the state Senate didn't put it on the calendar, with just three days left in the 2006 legislative session.

The bill was introduced to counter the growing problem of exotic, or non-native, species that thrive in many parts of the state. Often released by pet owners after they become too big or too annoying, these animals can often out-compete native wildlife, destroying what makes Florida landscapes unique.

The bill would have allowed the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to establish a list of harmful non-native reptiles, with a $100 permit required to own one. Anyone guilty of knowingly releasing one to the wild could have been charged with a third-degree felony.

Likely to have been on the list were the Burmese python, Nile monitor lizard, reticulated python, green anaconda, African rock python, boa constrictor and amethystine python, said Scott Hardin, exotic species coordinator for the wildlife commission.

Backers of the bill said they knew of no organized opposition. Pet dealers were going along. But like many bills, it failed to make it onto the floor in time to make it through all the legislative hoops.

Rep. Ralph Poppell, R-Vero Beach, the bill's House sponsor, said he would try again next year.

"It's something we will get some day," he said. "I want to protect our native species, and one way to do that is to stop these invasives. People turn these things loose and they don't think or don't care about what they're doing to the environment."

South Florida is particularly vulnerable because it lacks the cold snaps that tend to wipe out non-native animals elsewhere. Of all the non-native reptiles that slither through the fields and swamps of Florida, the two most harmful are Burmese pythons in the Everglades and Nile monitor lizards in the Cape Coral area, said Hardin, of the wildlife commission.

The pythons have established breeding populations in Everglades National Park, where they feed on birds, small mammals and in one celebrated case, an alligator. While the python that ate the alligator exploded shortly afterward, the park regards pythons as a serious threat and is trying different tactics for eliminating them.

Nile monitor lizards, which can grow up to 6 feet long, pose a threat to wildlife, including the eggs of American alligators. And their only known breeding population lives near the state's largest concentration of burrowing owls.

Despite the failure of the legislation this year, Hardin said the state wildlife commission will proceed with efforts to restrict ownership of certain reptiles.

Link to Story
 
Old 05-04-2006, 02:20 AM   #2
varnyard
I would have not cared either way on the bill. I would have got the permit. But I just can not understand why they are pushing this now. These things have been in south Florida for many years. They have been breeding and there is no way putting a ban, or regulation on them is going to solve the problem. Besides reptiles, there are many different species of animals, as well as fish breeding. Monkeys, all types of fish, and even parrots. So south Florida will never be free of exotic species, no matter what law is passed.

Exotics that are breeding in Florida.
Birds (196 species) Mammals (31 species) Reptiles (48 species) Amphibians (4 species)
This is not counting fish.

Here is a link to the problem with exotics animals in Florida.
http://wld.fwc.state.fl.us/critters/exotics/exotics.asp
 
Old 05-04-2006, 02:44 AM   #3
Clay Davenport
I don't live in FL, but I would support the bill if for no other reason than the $100 permit requirement. This is assuming it was a one time thing.
It is my opinion that the majority of people who buy burms have no business with them. They are incapable of caring for them as full adults. I would think that an additional $100 to purchase the snake would likely dissuade a good portion of those people from buying them to begin with.
Perhaps it would even cause most pet shops to stop carrying them. It is also my opinion that burms have no place in a pet store either as a general rule. Most of the people who are indeed capable of properly housing and caring for a full adult burm wouldn't have to go to a pet shop to buy one.
Novices to the herp hobby are in no position to handle a 15ft plus snake. Heck, I've been keeping snakes for years and I just don't want to have to take care of something that big. The newcomers though often don't fully appreciate what they are getting into.

I would like to see the permit be a one time thing and not an annual or per animal situation.
I wouldn't want someone with a collection of 12 boas to have to pay $1200 just to keep them.
I don't know the specifics of what was being suggested in that area however.

I agree the bill won't do anything to stop the current problem in FL, the animals are already established, but the politicians are in a position that they're going to have to do something if for no other reason than the appearance of effort being made.
 
Old 05-08-2006, 06:46 AM   #4
INSANE CANES
Annual type permit would be best.
 

Join now to reply to this thread or open new ones for your questions & comments! FaunaClassifieds.com is the largest online community about Reptile & Amphibians, Snakes, Lizards and number one classifieds service with thousands of ads to look for. Registration is open to everyone and FREE. Click Here to Register!

 
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
H.R. 6311 - Bill to ban all non-native animals SPJ General Legislative Discussions 3 08-22-2008 01:27 PM
Maryland - House and Senate Approve Bill Banning Terrapin Harvest Clay Davenport Herps In The News 2 03-17-2007 02:20 AM
New Indiana Bill the Senate is Voting on. Jon Mitchell Herps In The News 7 02-06-2007 04:17 PM
inquiry on Native Reptiles lcchavez Board of Inquiry® 2 03-24-2006 12:14 AM
Native Reptiles twh49801 Board of Inquiry® 4 11-21-2005 10:05 AM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 05:37 AM.







Fauna Top Sites


Powered by vBulletin® Version
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Page generated in 0.04244590 seconds with 10 queries
Content copyrighted ©2002-2022, FaunaClassifieds, LLC