Congress now in debate over infestation of pythons
Meek introduces bill to stop their importation
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Burmese pythons have made their way to Key Largo, and south.
A day after a Bradenton man was jailed for a bogus Burmese python capture, the question of just how to control the exotic nonnative snakes in Florida went before Congress.
The House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security decided to take on the issue of controlling the snakes by considering changes to the Lacy Act, which regulates what kind of plants and animals can be imported into the U.S.
Friday, the committee's chief witness was George Horne, deputy executive director of the South Florida Water Management District, which includes the Keys.
"We have a long history of successful invasive plant management and experience, but only recently have we had to commit more and more resources to the emerging populations of the Burmese python and other nonnative constrictors appearing across our landscape," he testified.
He called Burmese pythons, as well as African pythons, a "clear and present threat" to South Florida's ecosystem, which has endangered native species competing for food and habitat.
U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek of Miami, the chief Democratic candidate for senator, and Rep. Tom Rooney have sponsored a bill amending the Lacy Act to classify pythons as "injurious animals."
The first Burmese python found in the Keys was in April 2007, when one was caught in the hammocks of North Key Largo after it ate an endangered Key Largo woodrat. Researchers discovered the snake when they were tracking a woodrat fitted with a radio collar -- ultimately found inside the snake.
Since then, at least a half-dozen pythons have been found in the Upper Keys, and one was reported in the Middle Keys. The longest snake trapped in the Keys measured nearly 10 feet.
In June 2008, a Key Largo resident used a tree limb to dispatch a 7-foot python that attacked a bird in her yard near mile marker 98.6.
The widely held view is that pet pythons invaded the Everglades after being released, or after getting loose following Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
Earlier this year, Gov. Charlie Crist put out an order allowing qualified trappers to catch them in South Florida wetlands. State permits are needed.
After catching a python, a trapper must euthanize it, then report its GPS location and take a digital photo of the carcass. He or she must also fill out a data collection sheet and submit it to the FWC.
They're allowed to sell the snake's hide and meat.
In the Keys, The Nature Conservancy has formed five Python Patrol teams to locate and capture the snakes. Residents can call them at (888) 483-4681.
Thursday, Justin Matthews of Bradenton was arrested for staging the capture of a python on July 25, when he actually released a 14-foot Burmese python into a drainage pipe.
Matthews was charged with misusing 911 and maintaining captive wildlife in an unsafe manner.
