Senator Wants Pythons Killed in the Everglades (Florida)

rockin'robin

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Request Comes After Florida Girl Strangled By Python

MIAMI, Fla. -- U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson is calling for tens of thousands of pythons believed to be in the Everglades to be hunted and killed.

Nelson sent a letter Tuesday to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, asking for permission to have deputized agents and volunteers kill as many of the snakes as possible in an organized hunt.

Nelson sent a letter Tuesday to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, asking for permission to have deputized agents and volunteers kill as many of the snakes as possible in an organized hunt.

The senator's request comes after a 2-year-old central Florida girl was strangled by an unlicensed pet python in her home.

Nelson hosted Salazar on a tour of the Everglades last month, in which he advised the secretary of the python problem. He estimated 100,000 of the snakes may be in the park.

"It's an ecological problem," said John Bruggen, of the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. "Pythons are out in the wild eating up our native animals, and we have that kind of thing go on all over Florida because Florida is a subtropical area."

Bruggen said the python population has boomed in the last couple decades.

Channel 4's Scott Johnson spoke to animal welfare advocate Carol Cromwell-Ierna on the phone.

"I understand and respect (Nelson's) intentions," she said, "but I do have to say as an animal welfare advocate that there has to be some options."

Some of the options she said might work are trapping and relocating the snakes.

"They did not drive to the Everglades, they were placed there by irresponsible pet owners," Cromwell-Ierna said.

Sen. Nelson Wants Pythons Killed - Jacksonville News Story - WJXT Jacksonville
 
I detest snakes. They are not domestic animals and should not be used for pets in the first place. However, I do not think that killing these creatures is the solution to their problem because they have as much right to life as anyone else. I do hope they try relocating the snakes, though, because they are endangering the lives of the wildlife living in the Florida Everglades.
 
The pythons appear to be an invasive species.

The problem with hunting down the pythons is that it's very unlikely they will kill all of them, so the population will spring back up again, resulting in a waste of money and time.

The hunters will also disturb the everglades and might accidentally shoot other species.
 
Everglade85 said:
The pythons appear to be an invasive species.

The problem with hunting down the pythons is that it's very unlikely they will kill all of them, so the population will spring back up again, resulting in a waste of money and time.

The hunters will also disturb the everglades and might accidentally shoot other species.
Click to expand...

I concur.

Also, If it was just because of the recent incident about a 2 year old girl that was asphyxiated by the python, then I think this is a joke because it's not that often it happens. It was a rare incident.

Yes, it was an unfortunate incident which should have not to happen but it did. It doesn't mean that all pythons have to be killed. They can maintain it and we all just have to be careful, be aware of our surroundings.
 
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