More snakes to join Burmese python on restricted list

[Gio]

Well to play devils advocate, you do all realize snakes are masters of concealment. They don't hear the way mammals do you but they can feel ground vibrations from a LONG ways away. So I'm sure they "heard" the masses of drunk cash mongering snake hunters coming from a mile away and just buried down in the grasses. Not to mention, imagine how flighty a baby is going to be out in the wild. They aren't going to be that nice docile laid back "pet". They are going to the butt boogeying staying alive little baby of the wilds. While I do think the shows overblow it a lot, I imagine a lot did get loose during the hurricanes and while probably half or less survived, those that did and got to a decent size would have a lot less predators to worry about. The only real predator I can think of for a 6ft+ constrictor in the Everglades would be a gator and man of course. Oh well, the government is great at throwing on bandaids. Shame it hurts so many people, me included as I live in Washington state where no large constrictor could survive anything outdoors past around our 2 month summers.

Well, this sounds good in theory, being masters of concealment, but there are boa farms in South America that harvest wild caught animals and the pet trade has severely impacted their numbers in the wild. The same goes for the royal python. Harvesting wild caught animals has by some accounts endangered their numbers and the captive production of royals has actually been a positive step in keeping the wild population numbers from dwindling further. That info was from one of Mark O'Shea's publications.

The rattle snake "harvests" practiced in some southern states has severely reduced the numbers in their natural habitat.

So even with the secretive lives snakes lead, there is plenty that a determined group of 15-16 thousand can do over a month's time to find ALL of these "giants" cough,,, cough that are "taking over" the glades.

The fact that they haven't been pulling giant pythons out of the Everglades in large numbers, isn't because they can't find them, it's because the false data that was spread as to the TRUE number was just that,, FLASE.

And further more a 6 foot snake actually does have predators. They can make an easy target after a meal, or when they are cold.

Don't forget the reason people worry about hungry rats around snakes that aren't hungry.

Anyhow, that is a bit off topic, but the new restrictions serve no purpose at all other than what Reptile Experts mentioned in the Giant Python forum.

Lots of $$ for fanatical groups like HSUS and PETA to give and lobby their favorite political agendas.