You've got to be kidding me!

[Raptor]

Well, you can skin them and ship them to people interested in doing taxidermy, you can send them bodies to vet colleges for people who are interested in specializing in reptiles (which in the long run would help us out since there needs to be more reptile vets).

[BGdyl]

what are they going to do with all the burms they kill?

I wonder if burm tastes very good? maybe we can feed them to the homeless.

LMAO i was about to say the same thing

[tonkatoyman]

Well, you can skin them and ship them to people interested in doing taxidermy, you can send them bodies to vet colleges for people who are interested in specializing in reptiles (which in the long run would help us out since there needs to be more reptile vets).

The vet college idea is brilliant.
The one area no one has discussed is prevention in the future. I believe that the reptile community "Thats us" can go allong way in gaining respect in the country by stepping up to the plate with self regulated preventive measures such as but not limited to:
1. tag every "giant" sold and register the tag.
2. Ask states to leavy heavy fines for the owners of animals found in the wild based on the tag. The fine could go to cover the expense of removal and relocation of the animal.
There are other ideas out there but theses are the ones I have heard kicked around.

[Skiploder]

ok....i guess i understand the fear of the pythons by florida people...but umm...gators? wtf? why are they not killing them? i would imagine a gator being more dangerous than a damned burmese.

Because alligators are native...............

[Freakie_frog]

Because alligators are native...............

That and they are.. Many states now, including MS, have alligator hunts that are overseen by the Wildlife Game and Fish Dept. They take blood samples measurements and all kinds of info from the harvested animals. And its not cheap to do either they only allow about 20 people a year to take 2 gators each and the tags cost hundreds to get.

[Skiploder]

I am not saying I have the answer. Honestly to answer that question I would need to think it over and get mroe information about the area and what resources were avilable and what alternatives there are to killing them. But considering the man who is pushing this hunt is the same who is trying to ban them I doubt all that was done but *shrug*. I just think it is sad that us humans have to go into an animals home and kill it out of fear.

It's not their home. They are an invasive species. I think it's sad that Florida is now home to large populations of introduced species.

"Because as long as individuals are allowed to acquire these exotic animals, they will continue to be abandoned outdoors and attack humans," PETA said in a statement obtained by FOXNews.com. "These animals have ended up in Florida through no fault of their own, and they should be dealt with in the most humane way possible."

According to the article, PETA is making they claim they are attacking humans.

At what point does sacrificing native species make sense so that you can feel good about not killing invasive ones?

[mainbutter]

I'm sorry I support an organized hunt. These are feral animals that's existence in the wild threatens my ability to keep my business. I say kill them all and then FL wont have a damn thing to complain about..

Agreed.

I support hunting as a sport. If you can make hunting into an activity that also improves the environment, then that's fantastic.

[mainbutter]

ok....i guess i understand the fear of the pythons by florida people...but umm...gators? wtf? why are they not killing them? i would imagine a gator being more dangerous than a damned burmese.

Florida already has laws in place that require the removal and extermination of alligators that exceed.. 4 feet? 5 feet? I think it's 4.... If they are in close proximity to humans.

Sanibel Island was the last place in Florida that did not allow alligator extermination. Then a woman got attacked by a very large gator and that changed.

Either way, I agree that alligators are more dangerous than burms (though still pretty harmless if you're not an idiot around their territory). As I understand it there have been no recorded attacks on people EVER from released burms.

[Freakie_frog]

Agreed.

I support hunting as a sport. If you can make hunting into an activity that also improves the environment, then that's fantastic.

I mean name a redneck that wouldn't pay 250.00 to bag one of these "giant Pythons that are taking over the world" LOL. I mean with a 15+ foot snake thats a lot of boots and hat bands. I'm not trying to be cruel but people need to open their eyes to the fact that one of two things is going to happen

1: They have hunts and kill all the feral snakes and we get to keep on going with our hobby.

2: They ban your pets and then have hunts and kill all the feral snakes.

We as a community need to stand behind any solution that allows us to keep our snakes and that doesn't involve a ban.

PETA is screaming about this not because they care about the feral snakes but rather because its a solution that doesn't end exotic pet ownership and they can't stand the idea of that.

Lets get behind these hunts and show law makers that while we love snakes we also want to see the Florida issue resolved in any manner that doesn't involve taking our pets and our business' away. Even if it means hunting them. It may be hard to stomach for some but its time we put our big boy pants on and see this for what it is, a great NON BAN solution to the driving problem that is giving these laws ground to stand on. You remove the feral snakes and then there is no reason to ban them. You may even see Florida residents being able to keep them again.

[aaramire]

So just because its not a cute little ball python that you keep in a rack in your house, means its life isnt valuable? I mean I get it, its a means to an end, something needs to be done about the wild population, and we need to keep our hobby going.. etc etc, but come on.... the snakes are being talked about like they are slithering to FL on their own and taking over, and obviously thats not the case. While it may not be practical to try to remove them any other way, I think a general respect for life would be appreciated.