My Opinion

[bsd13]

This is NOT a federal issue. It's a state of Florida issue. Hell, it's a localized issue in one small region of the entire state of Florida. These snakes aren't going to colonize beyond a very specific area. There is no danger that they are going to establish themselves outside of that area. Unless by colonize you mean in our homes where they are kept in very specific climate controlled areas.

[crescend]

Ok but the law involves the whole united states not just florida. florida is the problem we need to resolve.

[WingedWolfPsion]

There is no evidence to suggest that owners have anything to do with it at all. The burms are breeding in the Everglades on their own. They will continue to do so, regardless of whether anyone in the country owns burms.
People are not releasing them--or, if any are, they aren't having any impact on the numbers in the Everglades--so even stopping people from owning them will not help this issue.

Capturing the burms in the Everglades is going to be the only way to get rid of them, but it's not an easy task. My personal opinion is that they should just open season on them--make people take a short quiz on identifying Burms as opposed to other snake species, and then give them a license and let them have at it. Burms are a lot less dangerous than bears, and no special knowledge is required by the government to hunt those, apart from basic gun safety.

It's going to take time, and it may not work anyhow. Once a species is established in a wilderness area, it's not that easy to eliminate. Burmese are fairly secretive and cryptically colored animals. The idea of finding all of them in a giant swamp is rather ludicrous.

This bill is irrelevant to the problem of Burms in the Everglades. Resolving that problem requires hunting, and nothing more.

[bsd13]

Ok but the law involves the whole united states not just florida. florida is the problem we need to resolve.

I hear what you're saying but I disagree. The law is meant, among other things, to stop injurious flora and fauna from spreading via interstate commerce. That simply cannot happen with these reptiles. They can't survive elsewhere, can't colonize new areas, can't adapt. There is zero chance of them spreading. This isn't a case of an invasive species that can wreck havoc across our natural resources like a timber beetle can.

That's why it's a local issue for Florida to deal with, or rather it should be. In short it's a misapplication of the law. Federal law makers from Florida have decided that they'll deal with the problem since the state and local lawmakers apparently won't. Now everyone is going to suffer unless it is stopped. If it does pass we can only look forward to more and more laws like it being passed.

[j_h_smith]

We need to get our representatives to realize this is a single state's issue and should never be brought to the FEDERAL level. I know, I know, the government has been doing this for years. But it still doesn't make it constitutional.

Jim Smith

[MattU]

It's definitely a Florida issue, and should be dealt with by Florida, not te federal government. I like the idea of an open season on them. I'm sure some wont like the thought of animals we keep being hunted, but it's a sure-fire way of keeping the pop. in check.

[wolfy-hound]

People are NOT driving all the way to the blasted Everglades to release unwanted pets! They can't be bothered to take them to the local humane shelter, there's NO way they're going all the way to the freaking tip of florida.

It's Not a issue for responsible owners, it's a environmental issue that the STATE of Florida is working on with knowledgable experts.

This bill/law is nothing more than a animal rights foothold for PETA and HSUS to get rid of domestically kept animals. Once this is passed, they'll just use it as a stepping stone to add more and more until there are no pets, and no food animals left.

Go into the fight with your eyes open. The bill is ridiculous, since the animals listed cannot live in the other states. The last minute additional of Boas to the bill shows exactly how little it relates to feral populations of snakes.

[singingtothewheat]

It is a Florida issue, not a national issue but because some greedy little twerps saw dollar signs it has turned into this.

Animal release happens. It is wrong wrong wrong and any person that does it and get's caught ought to do some jail time in my opinion. However, there has been no evidence to show that this is where the problem really developed from. Because there are some very unscrupulous importers out there it's probably more likely that many of the animals started from that point.

One of the biggest problems with this attempt is that it totally ignores the fact that the good owners will do whatever they have to do and the bad ones will still do what ever they want to do, because, THEY DON'T CARE!!!