Python: Monty, yes; house pet, no. Why is this still an issue? Some things inherently make no sense.
We already know that gigantic snakes such as pythons and boas are incompatible with this state – or anywhere outside of their unique habitats, such as the jungles of Myanmar. Their presence is invasive in the Everglades; their ecological threat serious and documented. And with the application of common sense, we know that creatures that grow well beyond 20 feet and 200 pounds can be lethal to domestic pets and some humans – notably, children. Recently a toddler from Sumter County was suffocated by one.
And yet they are legal. The permit costs $100. Failure to have one is only a second-degree misdemeanor. The law also requires such snakes be secured — under lock and key. Obviously they always aren’t. The child killed in Sumter was victimized by an albino Burmese python. She was also victimized by its owner, who didn’t have a license, a secured environment or, seemingly, whatever sense he was ostensibly born with.
Most of the people who own jumbo snakes are not herpetologists. Who knows what the attraction is for all the non-herpetologists, although the thought is unsettling. I wouldn’t want them living next door. Officials estimate about 450 licensees are allowed to possess such “reptiles of concern.” They have no idea how many unlicensed, “reptiles of concern” owners there are.
Here’s hoping Florida Sen. Bill Nelson’s bill – which would include pythons on the list of injurious, non-native species that can’t be imported into the U.S. – now gets some traction. Unfortunately, it has taken a needless tragedy borne of unconscionable stupidity and negligence to formally add public safety to the environmental-havoc rationale.
And doesn’t it speak volumes when, courtesy of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, we actually have – and obviously need – an exotic-pet amnesty day? Bring ’em in. No charge. No questions asked. Including the most basic query: “Why the hell did you want one of these in the first place?”