:(. Burm shot in Flordia

Thought I would share. Didn't see it anywhere here. So sad...

http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/...urmese+python/

I was just about to share this too. And yes it makes me sad. Why can't we let nature adapt to it's own? There is no need for that "hunt". Why must we interfere? Just let it adjust on it's own the same way it did with the countless numbers of alligators and crocodiles.

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Originally Posted by TheSnakeGuy

I was just about to share this too. And yes it makes me sad. Why can't we let nature adapt to it's own? There is no need for that "hunt". Why must we interfere? Just let it adjust on it's own the same way it did with the countless numbers of alligators and crocodiles.

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Because this isn't about nature adapting on it's own, nature is not the reason the snakes are in Florida. We brought them there, so it's our responsibility as humans, to correct our mistake. Even if that means euthanizing some of the pythons, there is really no other option.

Just because snakes make great pets doesn't mean that you should consider invasive snake species sacred.

Feral cats
bunny hoards
rats

All 3 are invasive somewhere, and cause terrible destruction to native ecosystems. All are pets. Should we let the native snakes of Australia, the songbirds of North America, or the geckos of New Caledonia go extinct because we introduced the above species, or should we try to undo our mistake?

I entirely agree with mainbutter, this is a human error that should to be rectified.

On top of what was already said... when we do introduce an invasive species, nature isn't able to adapt fast enough, and the result is mass destruction. Part of the company I work for involves removing invasive species, mostly plants but some animals too. Some of the areas we have removed invasive plants were devoid of almost all native plants, and had a great reduction in native animals, because nature just cannot adapt that quickly.

That mass destruction is part if the adaptation. Part of the new ecosystem. It's all change we should let alone. Nature will take care of itself. The big picture will handle itself. Slaughter is not the answer.

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Originally Posted by TheSnakeGuy

That mass destruction is part if the adaptation. Part of the new ecosystem. It's all change we should let alone. Nature will take care of itself. The big picture will handle itself. Slaughter is not the answer.

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So, I guess that means I should let all sorts of small snakes/lizards/turtles go extinct in my local area because the cats/dogs enjoy hunting them.

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Originally Posted by TheSnakeGuy

That mass destruction is part if the adaptation. Part of the new ecosystem. It's all change we should let alone. Nature will take care of itself. The big picture will handle itself. Slaughter is not the answer.

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When everything disappears there isn't going to be anything left to adapt. Is a habitat composed of one single plant species, now prone to severe burning, with half a dozen animal species really an "adaptation", compared to the dozens of plants and dozens of animals that should be there?

And in the case of Florida and the Burmese pythons... if the pythons end up eating enough mammals, there won't be any mammals left to adapt. Part of it is habitat loss, part of it is introduced predators.

One of the species I monitor for the company I work for is an endangered song bird. It is threatened by habitat loss, as well as nest parasitism by an invasive bird species. When my company first started working with these two species, there were about a dozen pairs of the endangered species. After at least a decade of control on the invasive species (because complete eradication isn't possible), along with removal of invasive plants that degrades its habitat, and that endangered bird now numbers greater than 1600 pairs and there's talk of downgrading it from endangered to threatened.

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Originally Posted by TheSnakeGuy

That mass destruction is part if the adaptation. Part of the new ecosystem. It's all change we should let alone. Nature will take care of itself. The big picture will handle itself. Slaughter is not the answer.

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That really is not the way adaption works. The adaption of an animal takes millions of years and in the case of invasive species, rarely results in a new and thriving ecosystem. The only thing that happens is everything is thrown out of balance. Floridas invasive snakes threaten everything, including other native snakes and reptiles, and in this case, nature will not be able to take care of itself because these snakes are not part of the ecosystem. Florida wildlife are not equipped with the adaptations to fend off 10 ft.+ pythons and boas, even the alligators are prey and they're very close to the top of the food chain over there.
It may seem cruel to cull an entire species but in this case, it is a necessary evil to preserve what's left of Florida's native flora and fauna.