New Cold Study Discredits USGS Constrictor Report

[USARK.Jonathan.Brady]

New Cold Study Discredits USGS Constrictor Report
The Wildlife Research Center of the US Department of Agriculture has recently released a peer reviewed scientific paper in Biological Invasions that casts serious doubt on wild claims made by the US Geological Survey that Burmese pythons are poised to spread out of South Florida. --Avery, M., Engeman, R., Keacher, K., Humphrey, J., Bruce, W., Mathies, T., & Mauldin, R. (2010). Cold weather and the potential range of invasive Burmese pythons, Biological Invasions, DOI: 10.1007/s10530-010-9761-4

In an in-house “Open Report” produced by the USGS (Giant Constrictors: Biological and Management Profiles and an Establishment Risk Assessment for Nine Large Species of Pythons, Anacondas, and the Boa Constrictor) authors Gordon Rodda and Robert Reed claim that the risk is high that Burmese pythons will quickly spread across the southern third of the United States; as far north as the Chesapeake Bay, Ohio Valley and San Francisco Bay. A panel of independent scientists has criticized the report as, “not a bona-fide ‘scientific’ paper that has gone through external peer review”. Scientists further characterized the report as “not suitable as the basis for legislative or regulatory policies, as its content is not based on best science practices”. USARK has filed a 36 page Request for Correction under the Information Quality Act demanding a response to 16 serious errors, inaccuracies and mischaracterizations within the report. The Constrictor Report is the sole justification for two federal bills and regulatory rule change that would add Burmese pythons and 8 other constrictors to the Injurious Wildlife list of the Lacey Act.

Now in a paper entitled, Cold weather and the potential range of invasive Burmese pythons, published in a refereed scientific journal called Biological Invasions, scientists question the rash conclusions of Rodda & Reed. 7 of 9 Burmese pythons captured from Everglades National Park and held in outdoor enclosures with heated refugia died in the cold last winter at the USDA facility in Gainesville, FL. One of the authors of the new paper, Michael Avery says, "Our empirical observations cast doubt that Burmese pythons can become established and persist beyond the southern portion of the Florida peninsula."

Currently Burmese pythons are thought to be established in an area restricted to 3 counties of south Florida. Estimates on the die off after the cold winter range from 50%- 90%. Anecdotally no pythons have been found since mid March. This new peer reviewed paper is just one more independent piece of evidence debunking the extremely poor work fielded by USGS on the python invasion question. It begs question of ineptitude or unethical practices on the part of USGS producing questionable science with speculative conclusions on the taxpayer dime with little supporting data.

Click here to read press release in Conservation Maven: http://www.conservationmaven.com/fro...on-invasi.html

Click here to read New USDA Paper: http://www.usark.org/uploads/PythonColdTempfulltext.pdf

[j_h_smith]

Do you think facts will get in their way? They want this bill to pass, they don't care what facts indicate, they just want the bill to pass.

Good read, thank you!
Jim Smith

[Vypyrz]

Now in a paper entitled, Cold weather and the potential range of invasive Burmese pythons, published in a refereed scientific journal called Biological Invasions, scientists question the rash conclusions of Rodda & Reed. 7 of 9 Burmese pythons captured from Everglades National Park and held in outdoor enclosures with heated refugia died in the cold last winter at the USDA facility in Gainesville, FL. One of the authors of the new paper, Michael Avery says, "Our empirical observations cast doubt that Burmese pythons can become established and persist beyond the southern portion of the Florida peninsula."

Am I reading this right? They let 7 snakes freeze to death at a government facility, in the name of science, then ignore their own findings...

[AaronP]

Am I reading this right? They let 7 snakes freeze to death at a government facility, in the name of science, then ignore their own findings...

They're saying that the evidence shows that the snakes cannot survive outside of the areas they are currently inhabiting. It goes on to state that because of that gold snap the majority of the feral pythons were killed anyway.

[MustBeSatan]

Quote:
Originally Posted by USARK.Jonathan.Brady
Now in a paper entitled, Cold weather and the potential range of invasive Burmese pythons, published in a refereed scientific journal called Biological Invasions, scientists question the rash conclusions of Rodda & Reed. 7 of 9 Burmese pythons captured from Everglades National Park and held in outdoor enclosures with heated refugia died in the cold last winter at the USDA facility in Gainesville, FL. One of the authors of the new paper, Michael Avery says, "Our empirical observations cast doubt that Burmese pythons can become established and persist beyond the southern portion of the Florida peninsula."


Am I reading this right? They let 7 snakes freeze to death at a government facility, in the name of science, then ignore their own findings...

First, it does say that the snakes were held in outdoor enclosures WITH heated refugia. They had heated hides and died anyways. This suggests that even if the snakes found a warm spot to hide from the cold, they would still not make it.

Secondly, unless I'm mistaken, this research was not done by scientists with USGS. So no, "they" are not ignoring "their own" findings; this paper was written by some third party scientists, presumably in an effort to provide research to counter the initial research that was funded by the USGS.

At least that's my understanding... I hardly think that the USGS would suddenly turn around and go "Oh, we did this new study that disproves our findings... Oh well..." And maybe this won't make a lick of difference. At least now there is a study that proves exactly the opposite of the conclusions of the USGS that can be referenced.

[West Coast Jungle]

Am I reading this right? They let 7 snakes freeze to death at a government facility, in the name of science, then ignore their own findings...

The second report was done by The Wildlife Research Center of the US Department of Agriculture.

The report used for the current python ban is from the USGS. These are different organizations and yes the burms could go outside but also had heated indoor hides but still went in the cold and got sick because they have no cold weather behavior survival skills as they come from the tropics and have never evolved to need them. This is what the Barker's have observed and now it is being shown again in this study further discrediting the USGS report.

[nixer]

Do you think facts will get in their way? They want this bill to pass, they don't care what facts indicate, they just want the bill to pass.

Good read, thank you!
Jim Smith

burms are the least of their problems now that they all have oil spill front property!

[NCtrickFL]

By the way I really appreciate whoever posted this. I live in Gainesville, FL for school (UF) and this pushed me to email a few professors/scientists in the are to see if I could become involved with any ongoing research. So truly thank you for posting this article