Some in Congress oppose wider ban on big snakes

WASHINGTON -- The monstrous snakes that have invaded the Everglades and gobbled up some of its endangered wildlife are Florida's problem, not cause for a nationwide ban, some Republicans in Congress declared on Thursday.

Their staunch opposition greatly diminishes the chances that Congress will approve a bill to broaden the ban on invasive snakes that was proposed by U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Tequesta, and supported by proponents of Everglades restoration.

Opponents cited evidence that these snakes die in cold weather and cannot move farther north to threaten other parts of the country. They said a nationwide ban on importation and interstate sales would thwart pet owners and pinch the livelihoods of sellers and breeders.

"Florida is handling a Florida problem that only exists in Florida," U.S. Rep. John Fleming, R-La., chairman of the House subcommittee on fisheries and wildlife, told witnesses at a hearing on Thursday.

The chairman mocked testimony that Burmese Pythons have rebounded from cold snaps, have killed several young children and could thrive in parts of Texas, Louisiana, Puerto Rico and semi-tropical U.S. territories. He also dismissed warnings that global warming will increase the range of deadly snakes and other invasive species.
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"I think the worry, the threat, that in the next few years we're going to have reptiles on our doorsteps in Washington, D.C., is a little overblown," Fleming said.

A Florida member, U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Panama City, dismissed the proposed ban as "a solution in search of a problem." He said the bill amounts to an egregious attempt by an over-bearing government to rein in helpless small businesses, jeopardizing a $1.4-billion reptile industry.

"I'm dumbfounded," Southerland said. "We got bigger fish to fry here than to target businesses. It's open season on businesses. It's open season on enterprise, on freedom."

With as many as 100,000 snakes infesting the Glades, the U.S. Interior Department already has issued an administrative rule to ban importation and interstate sales of the Burmese python, northern and southern African python and the yellow anaconda.

Rooney and Everglades promoters hope to put that ban into law and expand it to include five more species: the reticulated python, boa constrictor, DeSchauensee's anaconda, green anaconda and Beni anaconda.

Environmentalists say these snakes kill endangered wildlife in Florida and undermine a multi-billion-dollar restoration of the Everglades.

"If we are trying to restore the ecosystem for wading birds adapted to the Everglades and we have invasives countering those measures, that's a big problem," Julie Hill-Gabriel, director of Everglades policy for Audubon Florida, said after the hearing.

She also warned that widespread publicity about pythons and other snakes in the 'Glades have discouraged tourism.

"We have some people no longer willing to visit because they are just afraid," Hill-Gabriel said. "The world knows the Everglades have a snake problem, and we need to show we are taking action."

The current ban and proposed expansion would not solve the immediate problem, which is how to eradicate the estimated 30,000 to 100,000 invasive snakes already in the Everglades.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business...,1853549.story

Goof info, thanks for posting this.

Good info*

You can watch this morning's hearing if you go to the site below and click "Watch the Archived Hearing Webcast." Brady Barr, Shawn Heflick, Colette Sutherland, and Andrew Wyatt did a fantastic job advocating for us, our animals, and our industry. It's really worth the watch.

http://naturalresources.house.gov/ca...EventID=312516

Watched it all. In particular I loved Mr. Duncan's comments about why the same people there arguing for the addition of the 5 species to the act but not for adding a law at the federal level to elongate hunting seasons! It makes two good points - one being that it is a state issue and the other is that there are far more species out there that are far more injurious than feral Burmese pythons. Over an hour and a half but not a bad watch if you have the time. Thanks for sharing the link, Lisa!

Well at least some people are smartening up. I will say though that I'd be more scared to be attacked by a gator in the glades then a burm.

This gives me some hope.

Ok tourists are afraid to go to Florida because of big snakes but not scared of alligators and the crocs? Are you kidding me? Crocs and gators can actually kill a person very very quickly.... But none of them are a real threat... It's too bad they only think of band aid solutions rather than getting to the root of the problem

Listened to most of the hearings yesterday on Urban Jungle Radio. I felt that Collette Sutherland, in particular, did a fantastic job. I also got the feeling that reptiles got a fair stake at the table for once with several lawmakers actually making sense(a big first for many).

Some in Congress oppose a wider ban, but will they VOTE AGAINST it?

Last time I heard a few people tell me "Oh, we're against it, we're definitely going to oppose it.." only to hear they all voted to pass it anyway.