Johniel Najera
At least when I think about my personal fears, snakes come to mind. This is shared with a large amount of the population in the world. However, there are some people that like to keep certain breeds such as the Burmese python as pets. These people do not think of the future of their pet and the environment. A large snake like that is not meant to be kept in a small enclosure being watched by someone who most likely does not have an advanced degree in zoology which would give them the ability to take care of the animal. So when the owner no longer wants to take care of the large snake, they just let them go. This is what has and is happening in Florida. People do not think about what they are doing and how it will change in the future which is why the python is an invasive species in Florida.
In the 80’s, a small amount of Burmese pythons got released into Florida, and as invasive species do, their numbers grew rapidly. Almost nothing eats this large snake, so they were free to grow in numbers. They had an easy time finding prey and dominating the ecosystem that they lived in. They preyed on birds and mammals and they have now drove some species into the endangered list. This is a classic example of how an invasive species can completely disrupt how and ecosystem functions. This animal was introduced at first in the 80’s, and then more as owners released them after having pets. This led to them finding prey in the wild and since they are a natural dominant predator, it was easy for them to do this. This lead to their numbers growing rapidly and their prey numbers dropping. With no natural predator, this trend will continue until all the prey is gone, destroying the ecosystems that are important to the environment and people of Florida.
It is only fair that since humans created the problem, that they try to fix it. Programs such as civilian hunting initiatives have been created to help stop the growth of the population. People can go out and capture and kill this python as an effort to save their ecosystems. An agency also hires 25 hunters that can locate these animals and kill them. They get paid an hourly wage, but serve as protectors of the wildlife that is trying to survive and beat these invasive animals. They have made a dent in the population with over 1000 kills, but they know that there is still a lot to be done. The experts on this issue have a hard time determining how many snakes there are, so it will be very hard to know based on the snake population when major change has been achieved. However, the environment would change and adapt back to what it was before the snakes if the numbers were low enough to where native species could repopulate.
There is one more concern with the Burmese python issue in Florida: they are breeding so much that a new hybrid has been created. When something like this occurs, the new hybrid has a better ability to survive in that environment and have unique characteristics that give it special advantages in the environment. These specific snakes have already adapted to the environment to be able to disrupt the food web to their advantage, and now they will be more suitable to the environment that they already control. Scientists are fearful that this will only end badly for the people of Florida and their ecosystems if nothing is done. Without more education and awareness of this huge issue, it will never be solved. Citizens of Florida need to stop buying these snakes as pets only to release them a few years later because they are too big. They need to step up and know how to prevent this from happening so that they can stop this invasive species take over.
Questions:
Would you ever own a pet snake? Why or why not?
What other systems could be put into place to lower the number of pythons in Florida?
What other systems could be put into place to lower the number of pythons in Florida?
Do you agree with the killing of the snakes? Or do you think they should be captured and kept somewhere else?
Sources:
https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/insane-snake-attacks/7/
15 comments:
I would never own a pet snake, partly because I am not fond of them, but also because of the information in this article. I do not want to risk having the snake get out and become loose into the wild and becoming invasive species. To ensure that no more snakes become released into the wild, there should be laws prohibiting having snakes as dangerous as pythons and other invasive snakes as pets. We should also have more hunting efforts and use other methods to bring the invasive populations down. I think in this case because of the amount of invasive snakes, it is okay to hunt them. We simply will not resolve the situation if we do not kill a few snakes, because there are just too many to trap them all. But, that doesn’t mean we have to kill all of them. We can trap a lot of them and put them in places where they are native so that they have a chance of survival.
I hate snakes so I would never own one. The risk of the invasive species should be a factor for most people that want to have this snake, especially since there are so many consequences. Hunting is a good method, but if the rate of snake growth keeps increasing without resistance, then we need more methods. We can implement even more hunting to help, and we can even put in stricter laws to prevent more invasive species from coming in. I think in this case, killing them and trapping them will help. You have to consider the large amount of snakes and the fact that they have no competition and they can grow fast.
I'm not a snake person. I would probably scream if I ever came in proximity of one. But the fact that humans think that taking a wild animal out of its habitat without having any proper education on how to care for is by far a very stupid and dangerous idea. We have to leave our selfishness aside and ban the transport of exotic species by those who are not licensed to work in zoos and wildlife sanctuaries. We also have to capture the remaining invasive species and potentially send them back to their natural habitats.
No I would never own a snake pet because they are just gross and slimy and I hate the feeling at night where you aren't safe and the snake can come for you and choke you out.Some ways help reduce the snake population in Florida is to introduce one of their predators such as a large bird or to get help get rid of the cause such as humans hunting for snakes in Florida and we should promote it such as to have a large competition to hunt the most amount of snakes.I do agree with killing the snakes because as said in the passage they are killing and overpopulating and that is already a huge problem.But I also have a feeling that killing all the snakes is wrong and as they were misplaced and that is our cause and we should put them in a sanctuary for safety if the case comes up that their populations start to drop because of whatever cause.
Our lack of understanding is the prime catalyst in Florida’s invasive species issue. It is important that we learn about how what we do, as individuals, can have a catastrophic effect on the environment. In the case of the Burmese Pythons in Florida, it’s foreign being in the food feb allowed it to move straight to the top as it had no natural predators. It is important that we find a way to repopulate the native populations and although killing is very controversial, it may be the closest thing we have to the best option. Because these pythons are capable of becoming such an issue, I do not know if it is worth the risk to try to transfer them without letting any go.
An old friend of mine actually had and lost a pet corn snake when we were younger. Lucky for us corn snakes are no where near as dangerous as these pythons in Florida, but it was still really scary to me knowing that a snake was somewhere in or around his house. He was a snake person though so it didn’t phase him, which is why I at least understand how people could be so naive to this issue. People who are crazy enough to have made the decision to obtain pet snakes are also crazy enough to not realize that other people want no business with their “pets”.
This issue is important and highlights a big problem that is not talked a lot about: invasive species being pets. Those families who bought these snakes as pets definitely could not have predicted how in the next few decades, these snakes would reproduce rapidly and even form hybrids. Although I would never have a pet snake, there are evidently people that will. The problem is that these people do not understand the dangers of owning an invasive species as a pet. The public must be better informed on these issues, as they can affect an entire region.
I would never own a pet snake because I never really liked them and even though they are pets, I always suspect them as dangerous. To ensure the decrease of pythons in Florida, we could try hunting methods or a safer method would be putting these invasive species in zoos so they can be safe and won’t be able to hurt any people. I don’t agree, but if the invasive species need to decrease, then I believe the best option would be to capture these snakes and kept somewhere else.
I don’t really have anything against snakes. I think they’re pretty cool creatures and I love to see the way they move; however, I wouldn’t have a pet snake. Not only because of the amount of unnecessary work, but also because these creatures aren’t domesticated and therefor not bred to be pets. As a result snakes kept as pets suffer due to improper care and insufficient space. So no, I wouldn’t have a pet snake for my sake and theirs.
I think part of our lack of understanding comes from a sense of human entitlement. As we perceive ourselves as superior, we assume the right to domesticate and make any species a “pet”. In my opinion, the process of being able to own a pet should be more extensive. Clearly, people were unaware of it being an invasive species, and as a result a major outbreak occurred. This is a public health threat on many levels, so the need for awareness is undoubtedly crucial.
The issue in Florida is a massive problem. People are letting their pet snakes go out into the open without knowing that they are invasive species. These snakes, in turn, go out and dominate the ecosystem as well as reproducing rapidly and becoming unstoppable. People should be more informed about the serious consequences that result from their carelessness.
This is a huge problem, considering that humans who are participating in the action of buying the snake, to then release it, are unaware of their actions having consequences to ecosystems. I think that there should be a law prohibiting people from buying pythons, until this issue gets resolved. I don't think it is ethical to kill the snakes, although I think it is an easier option, and it is good to see that some are taking actions to help this issue. I think having the pythons put somewhere else would just cause greater problems, unless an area had an overpopulation of birds and small mammals. I personally would not have a pet snake, they seem too hard to care for, could kill my dogs, and I've read a horror story about a snake killing a small child. They just aren't realistic pets for me personally.
While I think snakes are interesting animals, I would not have one as a pet, primarily because they are not as interactive as other pets, like dogs. I definitely feel that killing these pythons is the best course of action to combat this problem. Capturing and releasing the pythons require much more effort. First, capturing an animal is much harder than simply killing it. Second, people have to figure out places where they can release the pythons because they could create the same problem elsewhere if they drop these pythons in random places. While this methane might be considered humane to some people, they python population is too large for it to be effective, thus killing them is the best option as of right now.
I would not own a pet snake because I am very much scared them. I believe that if people weren’t allowed to own dangerous snakes, then there wouldn’t be a problem. So, there should be laws put into place to prevent people from owning these deadly snakes. No, I don’t believe that killing the snakes is the right move. It is people's fault if they buy a dangerous snake like these, and they lose it. The snake shouldn’t be killed because people are placing things where they don’t belong. I believe that they should be captured and released someone’s else.
Killing snakes is horrible, even though I hate snakes, they shou;don’t be killed becuase they are trying to survive. They should be captured and released into different areas. Many people want exotic pets, but we have many other items that could be considered exotic. We don’t need to make snakes our pets.
Post a Comment