FL Game Fish and Wildlife Conservation Holding Contest for Burmese

I didnt know where else to put this, but has anyone seen this lately?
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012...nd-prizes?lite

Theyre having a contest to see how many pythons someone can kill.

Thats... rude.
Why cant they just live trap them or something?
I understand that the invasive species is doing some real damage down there n whatnot, but I dont know.

It just seems... rude.

Why would you live trap them? Where in the world would they be housed?

I love snakes as much as the next person, but they do not belong there. It's no different than the bounties on Lionfish, Nutria, Asian Carp ... etc. etc.

They need to be removed from the Glades.

I do not believe them to be the plague they are portrayed to be, but it does not change that there should basically be open season on them year round.

The only thing stupid is holding the hunt in January. They attempted on in November and December a few years ago with poor results due to not being able to find any Burms in the winter.

Gee, go figure.

Live trapping, rehoming, relocation, trap-neuter return (for mammals).... none of these are effective at controlling wild or feral animal populations. The only tried and true way of decreasing animal populations is lethal control, not only because it absolutely, 100% removes animals from the population, but also because it's logistically and financially capable of being performed at a rate that can be effective (TNR for example doesn't work because you simply can't catch enough animals to account for the animals you don't trap that are still capable of reproducing).

Honestly, I think that the state should be trying to make some money off from the Pythons. Pay a bounty for them then process the "pelt" and meat for use by consumers. I know I would purchase Burm meat. Fried snake is actually pretty good. And, the snake pelts can be used for a lot of different things, boots, belts, wallets, purses, ect. Then they should take all of the money raised from the snakes to invest in conservation of the everglades, up to and including removal of other ferral species and habitat management for endangered species.

@snowgyre Here are some interesting things you should read about TNR before you condem it.
The Wiki Page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trap-Neuter-Return
Alley Cat's Allies Page: http://www.alleycat.org/page.aspx?pid=889
ASPCA Page on TNR: http://www.aspca.org/adoption/feral-cats-faq.aspx

Heres a list of success stories totally disproving your "it doesnt work ever" attitude:
http://www.communitykitties.com/tnr-...s-stories.html
Heres a PDF file on TNR and success:
http://www.alleycatsandangels.org/fe...ocumentary.pdf

Heres even a page from Chicago about how TNR has had wonderful success in controlling and effectively reducing the populations of feral cats in the community:
http://www.pawschicago.org/animal-ad...neuter-return/

Please, dont say that TNR doesnt work. There are dozens and dozens of examples all over the internet from just a simple google search about "tnr success stories".
So saying "it never works" is like saying the sky isnt blue. Youre just talking out of your bum.

@Shadow
Im not sure where anyone would house as many pythons as there are in the wild in FL.
Maybe they can accept donations for shipping to ship them back to where they originated from.
What about accepting donations for TNR on reptiles? I know that hamsters and rats can be neutered/spayed, but im not sure about reptiles... but im pretty sure someone can do that.
Also, what about chemical castration? Theyve had lots of success in Iran and the other middle eastern countries when it comes to the feral dog populations running around.
I know it would be difficult, but wandering around the FL everglades with a shot gun looking for snakes ... like I said it just sounds rude.
They arent even going to use the snakes for food or anything "useful". Theyve just got folks running around out there killing them.
At least with hunting deer, bison, elk, and other animals, you get tags, its regulated and the animal is used for food/clothing.

The amount of money that would be required to either ship these animals back to where they originate would be too expensive and impractical.

As would be sterilizing a reptile.

There is no reliably cheap and efficient way to do it.

As with birds, it's already dangerous to put reptiles under, especially large animals such as Burms. Ignoring that it is super expensive as well.

How do you know the people who hunt them will not use the animal? You do not know that at all.

They do not belong, they need to be removed. Period. This is a bounty hunt, it has nothing to do with "culling" populations for control like with cervines. It has everything to do with eliminating an animal that does not belong.

Since when has simply killing something become such a horrible thing? They are posing a problem, they don't belong there. There is nothing wrong with killing every last burm residing in the wild in FL, period. The same thoughts apply to feral cats.

BTW, don't believe everything you find on google.

Originally Posted by Riyeko

Heres a list of success stories totally disproving your "it doesnt work ever" attitude:
http://www.communitykitties.com/tnr-...s-stories.html
Heres a PDF file on TNR and success:
http://www.alleycatsandangels.org/fe...ocumentary.pdf

Good Gravy, citing Alley Cat Allies as a source of information is like citing Fox News for good statistical information. To summarize, there has never, not once, been a TNR colony eliminated solely because of TNR. If a colony was eradicated, it was due to removal of individuals from the population, either through adoption or direct mortality. Plus, there's the whole ethics thing... let's catch these animals, perform surgery on them, give them a few shots, and feed them occasionally (giving the animals we didn't catch free food so they could reproduce even more), and wipe our hands of the situation? If that's not abuse I don't know what is. It's re-abandonment all over again. Not to mention the rising risk of rabies. At least once a week I am notified of a case of human exposure to rabies because of feral cats. Not cool. Not cool. And before I am accused of not knowing my facts... I am a certified associate wildlife biologist of The Wildlife Society and a professor of wildlife ecology and management (bonafied Ph.D. here). Can't really get much better credentials than than when discussing wildlife and feral animal management. If you want to get into the matrix math and calculus behind our population modeling of feral cats in North America and elsewhere, I'd be glad to crack my knuckles and start the proverbial wrestling match.

I could go on and on about how ineffective TNR is (and have attended scientific, professional conferences discussing just this topic), but this is a discussion that requires a completely different thread and I choose not to continue that particular conversation here.

Wouldn't TNR be a moot point in this case anyways? I don't have any material to point to, to back it up, but I have always been under the impression that any burms caught down there must be euthanized, period. I think the hunt is a great thing, and hopefully will motivate folks to get involved.

Originally Posted by ShadowAceD

I love snakes as much as the next person, but they do not belong there. It's no different than the bounties on Lionfish, Nutria, Asian Carp ... etc. etc.

They need to be removed from the Glades.

So tell me, where exactly IS that line between what is native to Florida and what is not? At what date is it that separates those species that do belong here and those that do not?

And then explain to me, please, why it is not a completely and totally arbitrary designation.

Playing Devil's advocate here, obviously.