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Volume # 10 Issue #12 2/26/09 - Florida Freeze Continued (Affect on Pythons)
Publisher/Editor- Allen Salzberg
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"BIOLOGY OF THE BOAS AND PYTHONS"
Edited by R.W. Henderson and R. Powell
2007,Eagle Mountain Publishing,
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Table of Contents

1) Cold Snap Killed Many Pythons In Everglades
2) South Florida Cold Snap Puts Squeeze On Pythons
The Snakes And Other Nonnative Animals Are Dying By The Thousands As Temperatures Drop, Highlighting The Debate Over Intruder Species.
3) Florida Officials Create Season To Hunt Pythons, Other Reptiles
4) Constrictor Snakes Bill In Senate - Florida Legislators are trying to pass a bill that would prohibit importation, breeding, sale and possession of Burmese pythons and other dangerous large constrictor snakes as pets.
5) 'Pythons 101': Hunters Learn How To Catch Critters In Everglades
A Small Army Of Hunters Is Ready To Hit The Everglades To Kill Or Capture Dangerous And Nonnative Snakes
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1) Cold Snap Killed Many Pythons In Everglades
By David Fleshler and Lisa J. Huriash
Sun Sentinel
Updated: 02/14/2010 12:02:47 AM EST

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Vultures circled over Everglades National Park's Anhinga Trail, where thousands of dead non-native fish floated in the marshes.

About half the Burmese pythons found in the park in the past few weeks were dead.

Dead iguanas have dropped from trees onto patios across South Florida. And in western Miami-Dade County, three African rock pythons - powerful constrictors that can kill people - have turned up dead.

Although South Florida's warm, moist climate has nurtured a vast range of non-native plants and animals, a cold snap last month reminded these unwanted guests they're not in Burma or Ecuador any more.

Temperatures that dropped into the 30s killed Burmese pythons, iguanas and other marquee names in the state's invasive species zoo.

Although reports so far say the cold has not eliminated any of them, it has sharply reduced their numbers, which some say may indicate South Florida is not as welcoming to invaders as originally thought.

"Anecdotally, we might have lost maybe half of the pythons out there to the cold," said Scott Hardin, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's exotic species coordinator. "Iguanas definitely. From a collection of observations from people, more than 50 percent fatality on green iguanas. Green iguanas really got hit hard. Lots of freshwater fish died; no way to estimate that."

The cold snap has played into a highly politicized debate over how to prevent non-native species from colonizing the United States. Reptile dealers and hobbyists strongly oppose a proposal by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to ban the import of and interstate trade in Burmese pythons and several other large snakes. They say South Florida's cold snap shows these species don't threaten to spread north, as some claim, and a federal crackdown is unnecessary.

"Pythons are tropical animals," said Andrew Wyatt, president of the United States Association of Reptile Keepers. "When temperatures fall below a certain level, they are unable to survive. It reinforces the idea that the pythons can't exist more than a short period of time north of Lake Okeechobee. Even the pythons in the Everglades are dying during the cold snap."

Wyatt said scientists are downplaying the effect of cold weather on the pythons because that would undermine their ability to win grants to study a problem that has received international publicity.

"It's all about money," he said. "It's very little to do with the truth of fundamental problems on the ground."

But federal and state wildlife officials say the cold weather has not solved the problem. Not only did pythons survive, but so did other invasive species, even if the cold set them back a bit.

Along the park's Gulf Coast, where old-world climbing ferns lay dense mats over native trees, the cold snap inflicted frost damage on these invaders from Asia and Australia, said David Hallac, chief biologist at Everglades National Park. But it didn't kill them, he said, and they continue to spread.

And although they receive less publicity than pythons, non-native fish have infested the Everglades. The cold weather apparently killed them in the thousands, including the Mayan cichlid, walking catfish and spotfin spiny eel, Hallac said. But at the bottom of canals and other water bodies, pockets of warm water allowed some of these fish to survive, he said, giving them a chance to repopulate the park once the weather warms up.

No one knows how many Burmese pythons live in the Everglades, where they were released as unwanted pets or where they found refuge after hurricanes destroyed their breeding facilities. But what's certain is there are a lot fewer today than there was a month ago.

Greg Graziani, a police officer who owns a reptile breeding facility, is one of several licensed python hunters who stalk the snakes in the Everglades. In four days of snake hunting, he found two dead snakes, two live ones, and one snake on the verge of death.

"Vultures had pecked through 12 inches by 4 inches down the back of this animal's body," he said. "I thought it was dead and we reached down to pick it up and it was very much alive."

In cold weather, Graziani said, pythons go into a catatonic state, and if they don't make it to a safe place to ride out the weather, freeze to death. "We're finding the smaller pythons are handling it better than the large ones - the smaller ones can get into different cracks and crevices to maintain the temperatures they need."

Joe Wasilewski, a wildlife biologist who hunts pythons in the Everglades, said on a single day in late January he found seven live snakes and seven dead ones.

"You don't see dead ones like that for no reason," he said. "And they were laid out like they were caught by the onslaught of the cold, the way the carcasses were lined up."
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2) South Florida Cold Snap Puts Squeeze On Pythons
The Snakes And Other Nonnative Animals Are Dying By The Thousands As Temperatures Drop, Highlighting The Debate Over Intruder Species.
February 15, 2010|By David Fleshler and Lisa J. Huriash, LA Times

Reporting from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. - Vultures circled over Everglades National Park's Anhinga Trail, where thousands of dead nonnative fish floated in the marshes.

About half of the Burmese pythons that have turned up in the park recently have been dead.

Dead iguanas have dropped from trees onto patios across South Florida.

And in western Miami-Dade County, three African rock pythons -- powerful constrictors that can kill people -- have turned up dead.

Although South Florida's warm, moist climate has nurtured a vast range of nonnative plants and animals, a January cold snap reminded these intruders that they're not in Burma or Ecuador anymore.

Temperatures in the 30s have apparently killed Burmese pythons, iguanas and other marquee names in the state's invasive species zoo.

"Anecdotally, we might have lost maybe half of the pythons out there to the cold," said Scott Hardin, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's exotic species coordinator. "Iguanas definitely. From a collection of observations from people, more than 50% fatality on green iguanas. . . . Lots of freshwater fish died; no way to estimate that."

Nonnative fish that have infested the Everglades are turning up dead in the thousands, including the Mayan cichlid, walking catfish and spotfin spiny eel, said David Hallac, chief biologist at Everglades National Park.

No one knows how many Burmese pythons live in the Everglades, where some were released as unwanted pets and others found refuge after hurricanes destroyed their breeding sites. But there are a lot fewer today than there were a month ago.

Greg Graziani, a police officer who owns a reptile breeding facility, is one of several licensed python hunters who stalk snakes in the Everglades. In four days, he found two dead snakes, two live ones and one on the verge of death.

"Vultures had pecked through 12 inches by 4 inches down the back of this animal's body," he said. "I thought it was dead, and we reached down to pick it up, and it was very much alive."

In cold weather, Graziani said, pythons go into a catatonic state, and if they don't make it to a safe place to ride out the weather, they freeze to death.

"We're finding the smaller pythons are handling it better than the large ones," Graziani said. "The smaller ones can get into different cracks and crevices to maintain the temperatures they need."
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3) Florida Officials Create Season To Hunt Pythons, Other Reptiles
February 22, 2010|By Anthony Colarossi, Orlando Sentinel

State wildlife officials are offering hunters a special opportunity to capture and remove several types of pythons and other reptiles of concern from state-managed lands near the Everglades.

Folks with hunting licenses and $26 management area permits will be allowed to take the reptiles from March 8 to April 17, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Reptiles on the list include the Indian python, the reticulated python, the northern and southern African rock pythons, the amethystine or scrub python, the green anaconda and the Nile monitor lizard. They can be taken on Everglades and Francis S. Taylor, Holey Land and Rotenberger wildlife management areas.

The special season was established by executive order and it follows the end of small game season in the three wildlife management areas. The hunting will be allowed during a period when the snakes, which are non-native species, are likely to be found in those areas, officials say.

During cooler weather, the reptiles, which are cold-blooded, sun themselves on levees, canal banks and roadways in those areas.

"We are once again engaging our stakeholders, in this case, the hunting community, to help us reduce the number of reptiles of concern in the Everglades," FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto said. "Our hunters are on the front lines, and we hope, by tapping into their knowledge of the Everglades, we can make significant progress in this effort."

Today, hunters are getting training on how to identify, stalk, capture and remove reptiles of concern. FWC officials and reptile industry experts will provide the training.

Reptiles of concern can be taken by all legal methods used to take game animals. That means hunters can use shotguns, rimfire rifles and pistols. The most commonly used rimfire rifle is a .22.

Hunterss are not allowed to use centerfire rifles.

Reptiles may not be taken out of the wildlife management areas alive. Their deaths must be reported to FWC within 36 hours by calling 1-866-392-4286 or by completing an online form at MyFWC.com/ROC.

The python population in Florida became a particular concern last summer after reports that tens of thousands of the non-native reptiles may be thriving in and around the Everglades.

The death of a young Sumter County girl, who was attacked by a pet Burmese python, last summer further focused attention on the snakes.
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4) Constrictor Snakes Bill In Senate - Florida Legislators are trying to pass a bill that would prohibit importation, breeding, sale and possession of Burmese pythons and other dangerous large constrictor snakes as pets.
2/24/10Reporter: Alyssa Orange
For video of story
http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/85210047.html#

Florida's recent snake problem is making its way to the state Senate.

Florida Legislators are trying to pass a bill that would prohibit importation, breeding, sale and possession of Burmese pythons and other dangerous large constrictor snakes as pets.

However, if you already own one, you won't be affected.

Activists say they are asking for the community's support in order to help make Florida's residents and wildlife safer.

"Get behind that effort and say, we understand that people can have them, the ones that are here now, but we really need to close the barn door, stop what's going on, and ban some of these snakes as personal pets," says Laura Bevan of the Humane Society of the United States.

Bevan says that these snakes aren't a problem until they get too big for people to take care of, and they release them into the wild.

These snakes don't have a natural predator in Florida, which is keeping their population alive, and hurting other animals native to Florida.

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5) 'Pythons 101': Hunters Learn How To Catch Critters In Everglades
A Small Army Of Hunters Is Ready To Hit The Everglades To Kill Or Capture Dangerous And Nonnative Snakes.
By Susan Cocking ,2/26/10
Video at http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/02/22/1494647/hunters-learn-how-to-catch-pythons.html

Joe Mennine and Ismael Vasquez, co-workers from Jupiter, were tooling down an Everglades canal in an airboat Monday when Vasquez saw a distinctive black-blotched snake, about five feet long, on the levee.

Having completed a ``Pythons 101'' crash course given by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission less than an hour earlier, Vasquez recognized it as a Burmese python. He pointed it out to Mennine, who jumped out and grabbed it.

``It tried to bite me, but it bit itself,'' Mennine said. ``I grabbed it by its head and threw it in a bag.''

The two returned to the boat ramp and turned the snake over to their FWC instructors.

``I can't wait to do it again,'' a breathless Vasquez said. ``I'm a newbie -- my very first time. The training definitely helped me know what to look out for.''

The two hunters were among about 50 who gathered at the Everglades and Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area off the Tamiami Trail on Monday for the FWC announcement of a special hunting season for reptiles of concern on state lands.

From March 8 through April 17, anyone with a hunting license and a $26 management area permit may kill exotic, invasive snakes -- including the Indian python, reticulated python, northern and southern African rock python, amethystine or scrub python, green anaconda and Nile monitor lizard.

The hunting grounds are the Everglades and Francis S. Taylor, Holey Land and Rotenberger wildlife management areas. Legal weapons include pistols, shotguns and rifles, but no centerfire rifles.

Exotic snakes -- especially the Burmese python -- have become a big problem in the Everglades. Growing up to 26 feet long, the Burmese is a constrictor that preys on native Florida mammals, birds and reptiles, including the endangered Key Largo wood rat. No one knows how many live in the Glades, but more than 300 were removed from Everglades National Park in 2008 alone. From the park, the snakes have spread north to the Big Cypress National Preserve and south to Key Largo.

Hunters said they would be happy to help stop the spread.

``We feel we have the knowledge, responsibility and technical ability to take care of this problem,'' said Bishop Wright Jr., president of the Florida Airboat Association. ``We are the best tool in the toolbox in this situation.''

To give hunters their best shot, the FWC brought in some of its own officers, plus local breeders and trappers, for Monday's news conference and training session. Biologist Shawn Heflick and reptile breeder Michael Cole provided a rundown on the reptiles' biology, behavior, diet and habitat.

They even brought along two ``demo'' snakes -- a large, pet male named Fluffy and a smaller, rambunctious wild python caught recently in the Everglades -- for lessons in safe handling and capture.

Heflick said the best time to hunt snakes is during the cooler months, when the cold-blooded reptiles sun themselves and ambush prey -- such as rabbits and rats -- along canal levees, in tree islands and in brush and debris piles.

He said they are not aggressive, but will defend themselves if threatened.

``You don't want to end up with a Burmese necktie,'' he said, only half-jokingly.

Cole was adamant that snakes be dispatched humanely.

``The quickest and easiest way to euthanize them is with a sharp instrument like a machete,'' Cole said. ``The veterinary association recommends swift decapitation or a bullet. Don't club these snakes to death.''

Hunters learned there are some financial incentives to harvesting pythons.

Brian Wood, operator of All American Gators in Hallandale Beach -- a reptile processor -- said he would pay $5 per foot for a whole snake. He showed off a pair of jumbo snakeskin trousers valued at $900 and touted the flavor of snake meat, although tests on samples from the Everglades show it's high in mercury.

``The meat is very excellent,'' Wood said. ``It's like chicken, but it does taste like snake.''

Several of the hunters couldn't wait to get started.

Said Rich Andrews of Pompano Beach: ``We'll take care of the problem here for sure. We truly care about the environment. It's our playground. If the snake problem is as bad as they make it out to be, who better to be out there than us?''
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