Editorial from Tampabay.com

Deputies caught a 12-foot green anaconda last month in an Osceola County horse park. Miami-Dade County trappers encountered African rock pythons, which have been known to eat crocodiles and kill children. Urged on by Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, the Obama administration is moving more quickly than Congress to ban the snakes that pose a serious threat to life and the environment.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed banning nine species of giant constrictor snakes, including the Burmese, North African and South African pythons, the boa constrictor, and the anaconda — green, yellow and Bolivian. It says about 1 million such snakes have been imported in the past 30 years and even more have been bred domestically.

These predatory reptiles should not be sold like puppies, and they are overrunning the Everglades. Last summer a hungry, poorly secured pet python killed a 2-year-old Sumter County girl. Banning their import and interstate sale is the only reasonable response.

While a federal regulatory rule would be welcome, Congress should pursue the legislative ban sponsored by Nelson and Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Miami. Their bills would restrict importation and interstate sale and transportation of the nine species. Nelson's bill passed a key committee in December and is ready for a vote by the full Senate. It should not be a difficult vote.


This guy has a small Hemipenal bulge

I say a nice set of letters from the lovely people from North Florida should find their way to his ofice.

Actually .. I'd like the authors name if you get the chance.

http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/us-should-ban-big-snakes/1070555 here is the link, i didn't see a name

That's OK, an open letter to the paper does just as well.

Do these people have no clue (or care because they're cute and fuzzy) how many death dogs cause every year. Or how million are bred EVERY year not every 30 years. Too many people in this world need to just die.

I agree they should die, while in tennesee lady summer I looked up their herp laws, it is against the law to posess, harm or kill native snakes. Can't remember if that applies to hits or not, but at least some snakes are protected. I wonder how many people are cited for killing one each yeAr.

If someone finds a dog in thier yard they bring it in feed it, try to take care of it. If they find a snake they look for a shovel.

I don't want the same laws as tennesee cuz then we couldn't own them, but I wish the don't harm, kill part was in effect in Florida

There is a few states like that.

I'll be starting a nice letter writing campaign tonight. I am going to write out a nice form letter for myself and send one a day to the paper.

Christina is going to talk to the people on her forums and see if we can get them to do the same.

I want a retraction, an apology and at least equal time for the aposing view.

I am so tired of those bull crap scare tactics. The local news will be getting a simliar reaction the next time I see some BS story.

I found something on the web a few weeks back that list about a dozen newspapers that was pro bill. If I remember right these jackasses were on there to. I'll have to try to find the link again.

This does not make me happy, espcially after a long night of serious insomnia.
I hate the news.
On another note I'm going to the MOSH this afternoon since Jaxherp will be up there doing a little show-and-tell. 3-5 This afternoon. We decided last night when we were sitting awake at 3:30 AM that weweren't going to make is autocrossing as neither one of us had slept.

Well I was going to separate my ball pythons today but they are all locked up. This is a good thing

Just need to get an inc. up and running.

yes, yes I gotta do that. i keep putting it off like a dumb a