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The facility in Florida that was destroyed in Andrew had well over 100,000 snakes of hundreds of species. I don’t think a full accounting of what was in there has ever been published but I know there were a lot of vipers from around the world. Reports of eye lash vipers and other arboreal species not native to this hemisphere are out there.

I'm sorry but I fail to see any reason why we would even allow some of these snakes into the country. Can somebody explain the reasoning behind them being here. As far as the constrictors go just declare open season on them and kill them all. I mean I see shows where they go out and catch the snake and then take it away. Why just kill the thing no good can come from it being allowed to live.

The facility has been called a breeding facility but that was only a small part of their existence. Their mainstay was research in reptiles and milking snakes for anti venom and for research into cures for disease.

Constrictors are not evil monsters. Do they need to be controlled in the Everglades? Yes. Will they? Nope. Snakes by nature are very secluded and secretive animals. They don't go looking for trouble and are usually out only when hunting or looking for a mate. Most attacks by constrictors are actually defensive in nature. They are usually aggressed upon first.

Something else to remember, large snakes do not eat much. As in, they will usually eat only a dozen times a year, maybe 2 dozen at the most. All the hype about the giant snakes wiping out the other species in the Everglades is pure BS. For them to have done that, the population would have to be insanely massive. It isn't even close to that. Not to mention there has been a decline in the numbers of native species in the Everglades since long before the boids arrived.

I understand the fear that these animals can conjure up. Much of that is driven by myth and media inaccuracies. Saying that killing them because no good can come from it living is very close minded and ignorant. I don't say that as an insult but understand, these animals have abilities and traits that we still do not understand that could benefit us in ways we can't comprehend.

Snakes are able to control their metabolism unlike any other animal on earth. They can slow it or speed it up to suit their needs. It's amazing to see a 20 pound snake not eat for a year and not lose a single gram of weight.

I used to not really care about snakes at all. Then my daughter wanted one for her birthday and I, being a good parent, researched the hell out of the topic before letting her have one. Now, we have about 30 snakes of different species including pythons and boas. I've found that snakes are very curious animals and are reasonably intelligent for being reptiles. They remember and they learn. Having snakes in our home has helped to teach my daughter the importance of respoonsibility, not to be afraid of things like snakes, to learn before judging, and a sense of compassion that most children her age do not possess.

Don't believe the media garbage about snakes. 99% of it is myth and lies. Research the truth about them before you judge them. I would suggest you watch some videos on youtube. Do a youtube search on Snakebytes TV and watch and learn. You might be surprised at what you learn.

A couple pics of my daughter with snakes...