You knew this one was coming... More fear-mongering crap from HSUS!

http://hsus.typepad.com/wayne/2009/1...nd-hisses.html
When you add in the threat to humans, and the suffering that the snakes themselves endure in the trade, then the case for a trade ban for all of these snakes is overwhelming.

Also, has anyone seen the USGS report? I urge you to take a look at the map on page 83 of the pdf (numbered 63 on the actual report), and the preceding paragraph on page 82. I've read most of the P. molurus section, and it seems they are STILL ignoring the fact that there is little risk of P. molurus molurus (the Indian python) establishing itself because there are so few of them in the U.S. They don't really talk too much about the differences in climate tolerance between the two subspecies (molurus and bivittatus), which I remember reading about in Dave and Tracy Barker's article. Instead, that map (which will likely be spreading like wildfire across the internet soon) talks about the forecast American range for the entire species...

http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2009/1202/pdf/OF09-1202.pdf

Other than that, the report seemed fairly unbiased, though I have yet to read most of it. The first section is an overview. And they actually do admit that efforts at eradication of the Burmese python from the everglades probably won't work.