Python "Nightmare": New Giant Species Invading Florida

Netional Geographic ^ | September 14, 2009 | Christine Dell'Amore

[Leg Olam]

Already squeezed by the invasion of the giant Burmese python, Florida now faces what one scientist calls one of the U.S. state's "worst nightmares. Africa's largest snake—the ill-tempered, 20-foot-long (6.1-meter-long) African rock python—is colonizing the U.S. state, new discoveries suggest.

[Leg Olam]

Goodbye Everglades.....

[MrEdd]

Have you seen a man cub, Kaa?

[stars & stripes forever]

Eco-terrorism?

[OneWingedShark]

Africa’s ill-tempered snake colonizing the US...
Are they from Kenya?

[MichaelP]

I'm used to fishin with gators, but I don't want any part of 20ft snakes, especially nasty tempered ones....

Mike

[jagusafr]

“Have you seen a man cub, Kaa?”

“Lump? What lump? Oh - no, that’s just a capuchin I ran across last week. Really...”

Colonel, USAFR

[MSF BU]

Outlaw the importation of these snakes, neuter the ones that are here and put a bounty on skins taken from the everglades. We hunted carrier pigeons to extinction, we should be able to kill the invasive snakes as well.

[MSF BU]

Bring along you 20 gauge. A load of quail shot should produce some gator food quickly.

[Bushwacker777]

Strength through diversity, right?

[JustaDumbBlonde]

[STONEWALLS]

.....if Fla. wants to get rid of them; put a bounty on them of say $200....those S.Fla good ole boys will handle the problem.

[Artemis Webb]

Gee what happens every time you bring a non-indigenous predator into an existing ecosystem?

Hell a lot of times it doesn’t even need to be a predator.

[IYAS9YAS]

.....if Fla. wants to get rid of them; put a bounty on them of say $200....those S.Fla good ole boys will handle the problem.

Put a $200 bounty on the head - let them "good ole boys" keep the meat and skins. Let 'em make boots and sell me a pair. ;-)

[Artemis Webb]

Then you would have to have some kind of training for the bounty hunters otherwise they’ll kill every snake they see and ask questions later.

[Little Pig]

Kaa wasn’t a villain in the book, and was far more impressive (200 years old). He even helps Mowgli at one point, by remembering something from far in his past (takes him all night because of the years of memory he has to go through).

[CobraJet]

Neuter? I say off with their heads.

[himno hero]

Yup , put a tag on them. 200 is a little steep.

How about snake derbies? Hunt them to extinction.

I would think they probably taste alright alright dried and smoked. Snake jerky. I would guess 20 feet is probably 600 lbs.

[GOPJ]

You have come up with the ONLY practical solution, MSF.

[mkjessup]

From the article: "African pythons are so mean, they come out of the egg striking"

Smash the damn eggs, kill the adults, fry 'em up and find out if they really taste like chicken.

[GOPJ]

Strength through diversity, right?

We're turning our Florida paradise into a hellhole...