FL Game Fish and Wildlife Conservation Holding Contest for Burmese

Vanessa, I think it would be a great thing to have. That way when we have the uninformed show up, we can send them that way, so they can read the research.

If they are truly holding this event to protect floridas "natural wildlife" (LOL, thats been gone a long time ago) then why dont they hold a "feral cat" hunting contest, or even better a "human" hunting contest.

Originally Posted by cajunreptiles

we need to "slow down" what so you want the gov to tell us how many kids we can have thats BS and un-american, if that were to happen and we just let all the animals run wild then in the very near future there will be no humans. Yeah it sucks that the aniamls natural habitats were over run but you cant be to pro for it since you keep reptiles in cages thats not "the right thing"to do. i mean how would you feel being locked up in a cage all day and night and not able to do what you were born to do. Im from fl orginally and i dont have any exp with the wildlfe i.e. snakes being in my backyard and endangering me but i also left 8 yrs ago for the army so alot has changed since then. Drastic measures need to be taken for us to live safely instead of living in fear that our kids could get killed by a 20ft snake.

LOL you lived in florida and your worried more about burms killing people? I guess you forgot alligators and wild pigs live in florida too then huh? get real

Hell, forget the wildlife. You don't DARE go out into the woods during hunting season.

Originally Posted by hadenglock

LOL you lived in florida and your worried more about burms killing people? I guess you forgot alligators and wild pigs live in florida too then huh? get real

yes i did live in fl til i turned 18 and left for the army. i didnt forget about the gators or pigs at all. Thats why there is hunting seasons already for those animals. ive hunting both gators and pig and seen the damage they can do first hand. im not freaking out about the snakes and saying they are gonna over run over night and kill everyone but when they get to crowded in the swamps they will move to the cities and invade homes. its the same with any wild animal species they need to be controled so they dont move to the cities and put people in danger.

Originally Posted by cajunreptiles

yes i did live in fl til i turned 18 and left for the army. i didnt forget about the gators or pigs at all. Thats why there is hunting seasons already for those animals. ive hunting both gators and pig and seen the damage they can do first hand. im not freaking out about the snakes and saying they are gonna over run over night and kill everyone but when they get to crowded in the swamps they will move to the cities and invade homes. its the same with any wild animal species they need to be controled so they dont move to the cities and put people in danger.

Your trying to control something that cannot be controlled. This goes way beyond what florida fish and game has brought up in the past couple of years, there is DNA evidence of burms being in florida for the past 40 YEARS. There is a specific group of Red Tail Boas being tracked and tagged in florida that has not moved its breeding group within a 30 mile radius in the past 30 YEARS. Not to mention Invasive species of fish (Oscars, plecos, lionfish, angelfish, etc) and invasive species of mammals (capybaras) Not to mention the countless other invasive species of reptiles (chameleons, geckos, snakes, turtles, crocodilians, etc). And Florida fish and game should get a slap to the back of the head for this python hunting contest. They are only requiring a 30min online course in training to hunt these snakes. REALLY? You think an average joe is going to be able to identify difference between a cottonmouth and burm baby and then properly and humanely euthanize it??

Originally Posted by hadenglock

then properly and humanely euthanize it??

that part right there is my biggest concern regarding this entire thing. The guidelines on the story I read said to use a gun or decapitate. However, decapitation for snakes it not humane, the head can live for up to an hour afterwards. The brain needs to be pithed or the head completely crushed.

http://www.anapsid.org/decap.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1680226/

Originally Posted by AbsoluteApril

that part right there is my biggest concern regarding this entire thing. The guidelines on the story I read said to use a gun or decapitate. However, decapitation for snakes it not humane, the head can live for up to an hour afterwards. The brain needs to be pithed or the head completely crushed.

http://www.anapsid.org/decap.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1680226/

Absolutley and you know people are not going to follow AVMA standards for euthanasia when it comes to killing these pythons. I am going to laugh however if and when this hunt does happen and nobody will find anything substantial LOL.

Originally Posted by hadenglock

Your trying to control something that cannot be controlled. This goes way beyond what florida fish and game has brought up in the past couple of years, there is DNA evidence of burms being in florida for the past 40 YEARS. There is a specific group of Red Tail Boas being tracked and tagged in florida that has not moved its breeding group within a 30 mile radius in the past 30 YEARS. Not to mention Invasive species of fish (Oscars, plecos, lionfish, angelfish, etc) and invasive species of mammals (capybaras) Not to mention the countless other invasive species of reptiles (chameleons, geckos, snakes, turtles, crocodilians, etc). And Florida fish and game should get a slap to the back of the head for this python hunting contest. They are only requiring a 30min online course in training to hunt these snakes. REALLY? You think an average joe is going to be able to identify difference between a cottonmouth and burm baby and then properly and humanely euthanize it??

30 mins class is better than you get here in louisiana when i was active duty we didnt even have to go to the hunters safety class we just had to get a hunting license and your good to go. chams and geckos really cant compare to a snake that can kill you it just cant. As far as with the fish i dont know anything on that area i fish but here i fish in ponds for bass and catfish. when i was in fl all i did was deep sea fishing. They need to think about who they give the go ahead to like you said not everyone will know the differance between the snakes and will just kill any snake they see. The game warden by themselves cant do the job there is just not enough of them so they have to do something and this is a trial to see what happens. If it happens again next year and becomes a regular season thing they may be more demanding on who gets to hunt.

Originally Posted by cajunreptiles

30 mins class is better than you get here in louisiana when i was active duty we didnt even have to go to the hunters safety class we just had to get a hunting license and your good to go. chams and geckos really cant compare to a snake that can kill you it just cant. As far as with the fish i dont know anything on that area i fish but here i fish in ponds for bass and catfish. when i was in fl all i did was deep sea fishing. They need to think about who they give the go ahead to like you said not everyone will know the differance between the snakes and will just kill any snake they see. The game warden by themselves cant do the job there is just not enough of them so they have to do something and this is a trial to see what happens. If it happens again next year and becomes a regular season thing they may be more demanding on who gets to hunt.

That is because you are military. Everyone else, at least where I grew up, goes through hunter safety in grade school, as part of curriculum. If you don't get it in school, they have programs through game and fish to get your card.

Also, please tell me when the last time a grown adult got killed by a burm? Because, when I Google it I get one pdf from HSUS, and the rest is about a 16 footer that they killed that had a deer inside it...

And, You do not have a season placed on something that you want to eradicate. You have open hunt all year round. You also do not put stipulations on it like having to own a small game license.

I know the Army doesn't teach you how to do research, but you have a whole lot of resources at your disposal. I suggest learning a little bit about environmental ecology and you will realize that introduction of anything (gecko, chameleon, etc.) can have a devastating affect on the ecosystem if they are able to procreate in numbers large enough that they drive out native species.