Cat eating lizards invading Florida.....

[Daigga]

Thing is there are already laws against releasing animals into the wild, although really not many cases of enforcement to show for them, or reputable statistics for intentional releases, mostly just urban legends or anecdotes, bass fishermen catching piranhas, alligators in sewers, cobras coming out of toilets etc. The most credible source of invasive reptiles in the everglades (burms) was a research facility destroyed by Hurricane Andrew, along with plenty of other breeders and shops. IMO if you look to government to regulate who can or can't have a reptile, it will end in disaster for the law abiding hobby, expand the large reptile black and greymarket, and probably a new way to rip us off for the government, the recent abusive expansion of the Lacy act is a perfect example.

Probably best thing we can do, while growing our hobby instead of endangering it is to help out local herp rescue organizations. If they are well funded, and new owners are aware of them, they can be critical to preventing animals from being abused, killed, released, or any number of other irresponsible things pet owners do, and can be a good source of animals for experienced keepers that are equipped to care for them.

I want to believe the non native species found there way there because of natural events, but the simple fact of the matter is that there are too many examples at widely varying times to dismiss that irresponsible owners are massively at fault in these cases. Do I believe some of the burms made it to the everglades because of a destroyed facility? Of course. Do I also believe people have been releasing them despite the laws? Absolutely.

I am not suggesting anything like the lacey act, I have always agreed that's it's stupid to punish all of us for the actions of a very few in an isolated area. However, if we as a community can't come up with a solution to the problem then of course the government will try to and we all know how that works out. Irresponsible ownership or not, these people became part of the reptile community the second they purchased the animal and it's on us to defend our community.