A TOO LATE ban on Florida exotics?

ZEROPILOT

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Toddrickfl1

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Tom

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Typical government stupidity. Doesn't solve the problem in any way, and tramples the rights of millions for no good reason.

That article was slanted too. HSUS is NOT an "animal welfare" group. They are hardest of hard core animal rightists, and this is a huge victory for them.

The guy named Joe at the end of the article called it: They've just made the problem far worse by not allowing people to collect and get these invaders out of the state.

Bessette's quote is accurate too. "If people want something, they are going to find a way to get it." Hello? War on drugs anyone?

The smart move would be to incentivize collection, hunting and removal of all invasive species. Let people make money and you'll have an army of helpers. Banning people's personal pets will not remove a single one of these invaders from the wild.
 

Tom

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An internet search has failed to turn up the 16 species. Does anyone know them?
1. Black and white tegu.
2. Red tegu?
3. Columbian (black and gold) tegu?
4. Python molurus
5. Python sebae
6. Morelia amethestina
7. Green anaconda
8. Iguana iguana
9. Varanus niloticus
10. Python natalensis
11. Morelia kinghorni
12. Python reticulatus

Boas? Other monitors?

Several of the above are not invading FL and none have been found in the wild, so why ban those? Reptile "pre-crime" bureau?

To their credit, there really is a problem, and they really do need to do something about it. Unfortunately, they are listening to the wrong people and doing the wrong things. What they've done is going to make the problem worse, not fix it.
 
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Chubbs the tegu

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There are??? WTH for? They think Burmese pythons are going to get loose and colonize Boston???
Exactly! Idiotic. No monitor lizards either.. yet 20 min away in NH i can buy one
 

Skip K

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Nothing surprising here. We live in a “cancel” society now. Find something you don’t like or care for and won’t care if it’s cancelled or removed...even though someone else enjoys it...figure out how to present the issue in a negative light ...and get rid of it
 

Skip K

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Typical government stupidity. Doesn't solve the problem in any way, and tramples the rights of millions for no good reason.

That article was slanted too. HSUS is NOT an "animal welfare" group. They are hardest of hard core animal rightists, and this is a huge victory for them.

The guy named Joe at the end of the article called it: They've just made the problem far worse by not allowing people to collect and get these invaders out of the state.

Bessette's quote is accurate too. "If people want something, they are going to find a way to get it." Hello? War on drugs anyone?

The smart move would be to incentivize collection, hunting and removal of all invasive species. Let people make money and you'll have an army of helpers. Banning people's personal pets will not remove a single one of these invaders from the wild.
If I’m not mistaken, Tom....there are professional hunters now of invasive species in FLA. Maybe bounty hunters would be a better description.
 

wellington

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As much as it stinks, the blame lies with the idiots that have let them go because they could no longer care for them.
If people owning them would pull their heads out of their hmmm, things like this wouldn't happen!
Yet again, human ruins it!
 

turtlesteve

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As much as it stinks, the blame lies with the idiots that have let them go because they could no longer care for them.
If people owning them would pull their heads out of their hmmm, things like this wouldn't happen!
Yet again, human ruins it!

The idiots that let them go (or escape) are responsible for the problem and they should be held responsible, when they can be identified, under due legal process. This rule doesn’t target those responsible, it goes after everyone else. The responsibility for bad policy lies 100% on the government.
 

ZEROPILOT

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I think it was a long standing misconception that these were just released pets that survived.
In truth, there have been many generations of several species and they are thriving and growing in numbers. Future releases of pets are almost irrelevant at this point.
I think that explains some of the foot dragging.
This does nothing about the skies and waterways looking like a trip to the Amazon. Invasive fish are becoming more common than native. Native fishes are almost totally absent in some areas here.
There is a bounty of sorts on invasive snakes. Mostly Burmese Pythons. And on Green iguanas. In fact, Green Iguana is being touted as a gourmet food item.
I have not tried it...Yet.
If any of you visit south Florida, I can show you where to fish and I 100% guarantee that every fish you catch will be from Asia, Africa or South America. All with parrots flying overhead.
 
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ZEROPILOT

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An internet search has failed to turn up the 16 species. Does anyone know them?
1. Black and white tegu.
2. Red tegu?
3. Columbian (black and gold) tegu?
4. Python molurus
5. Python sebae
6. Morelia amethestina
7. Green anaconda
8. Iguana iguana
9. Varanus niloticus
10. Python natalensis
11. Morelia kinghorni
12. Python reticulatus

Boas? Other monitors?

Several of the above are not invading FL and none have been found in the wild, so why ban those? Reptile "pre-crime" bureau?

To their credit, there really is a problem, and they really do need to do something about it. Unfortunately, they are listening to the wrong people and doing the wrong things. What they've done is going to make the problem worse, not fix it.
Green Iguanas, Black and White Tegu and Burmese python are definately the most common. With Green Iguanas being as common as old folks in a Camry. Even up past Orlando.
Tegu are mostly Dade county. But have now expanded into the south Broward area.
And Pythons mostly keep to the Everglades and scrub brush areas. But that covers thousands of miles of Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.
 
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Skip K

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I think it was a long standing misconception that these were just released pets that survived.
In truth, there have been many generations of several species and they are thriving and growing in numbers. Future releases of pets are almost irrelevant at this point.
I think that explains some of the foot dragging.
This does nothing about the skies and waterways looking like a trip to the Amazon. Invasive fish are becoming more common than native. Native fishes are almost totally absent in some areas here.
There is a bounty of sorts on invasive snakes. Mostly Burmese Pythons. And on Green iguanas. In fact, Green Iguana is being touted as a gourmet food item.
I have not tried it...Yet.
If any of you visit south Florida, I can show you where to fish and I 100% guarantee that every fish you catch will be from Asia, Africa or South America. All with parrots flying overhead.
I think your initial subject header says it all. It is too late for these bans. Arguments about the “why” there are invasive species...such as people let them go...or they escape by accident because of inadequate enclosures or hurricanes destroy homes or enclosures allowing animals to escape...is truly a moot point at this juncture.
But I have to laugh at the iguana/delicacy info. I remember a Kamp Kenan episode where he said some laborers working at a neighbors place...saw his big torts and asked him if they were for eating. Maybe restaurants that serve nothing but invasive species is the answer. FLA can eat it’s way out of a problem
 

Tom

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As much as it stinks, the blame lies with the idiots that have let them go because they could no longer care for them.
If people owning them would pull their heads out of their hmmm, things like this wouldn't happen!
Yet again, human ruins it!
We don't know how they got there. The way you describe is certainly a possibility, but there are many other possibilities too. Most likely a combination of many scenarios.

In any case, law abiding responsible pet owners who keep their animals contained and responsible business owner should not lose their animals, their freedoms, or their livelihoods because of the possible misdeeds of others. That just isn't right.

I say again, instead of banning pets and destroying people's livelihoods, their efforts should be toward eradication of the invasive animals that are already out there and education to prevent further problems. I'd have no problems with any law that would severely punish people who intentionally release invasive species in to the wild, but I take issue with laws that punish people who have done nothing wrong.
 

wellington

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We don't know how they got there. The way you describe is certainly a possibility, but there are many other possibilities too. Most likely a combination of many scenarios.

In any case, law abiding responsible pet owners who keep their animals contained and responsible business owner should not lose their animals, their freedoms, or their livelihoods because of the possible misdeeds of others. That just isn't right.

I say again, instead of banning pets and destroying people's livelihoods, their efforts should be toward eradication of the invasive animals that are already out there and education to prevent further problems. I'd have no problems with any law that would severely punish people who intentionally release invasive species in to the wild, but I take issue with laws that punish people who have done nothing wrong.
I agree as far as I dont like the innocent being punished for the A-holes. But I also don't like native animals and plants being destroyed. That will never work out good.
Laws are only good if they can be enforced. There is no way to know if someone let an animal go or who owned the animal that was found. So trying to keep them available for purchase etc but educate the public is never going to work. The people that let them go I'm sure know it's not right but do it anyway when they can't find someone to take it in. I believe a lot of animals should be banned from ownership. Just because someone wants it doesn't mean they should be able to have it.
I want a pet skunk. Can't have them in Illinois. Okay, I move on. Alligators are banned in Illinois. People still buy them from outside the state, bring them here. Raise them for a few years and then dump them in the river or a lake. Can't imagine all the alligators that would be let go and suffer if they were not banned.
No matter what the state came up with to help fix the problem, its guaranteed to not make everyone happy.
 

Jan A

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I agree as far as I dont like the innocent being punished for the A-holes. But I also don't like native animals and plants being destroyed. That will never work out good.
Laws are only good if they can be enforced. There is no way to know if someone let an animal go or who owned the animal that was found. So trying to keep them available for purchase etc but educate the public is never going to work. The people that let them go I'm sure know it's not right but do it anyway when they can't find someone to take it in. I believe a lot of animals should be banned from ownership. Just because someone wants it doesn't mean they should be able to have it.
I want a pet skunk. Can't have them in Illinois. Okay, I move on. Alligators are banned in Illinois. People still buy them from outside the state, bring them here. Raise them for a few years and then dump them in the river or a lake. Can't imagine all the alligators that would be let go and suffer if they were not banned.
No matter what the state came up with to help fix the problem, its guaranteed to not make everyone happy.
Believe it or not, we have a wildlife refuge in Colorado that has several alligators that bask on snow. Damndest thing!!
 

S2G

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I remember seeing that movie idiocracy thinking this is the dumbest movie ever. Who knew it was a documentary.

Florida is overrun & there is absolutely no stopping the damage at this point. The horses got out the barn, the barn burned down, they built a dollar general where the barn used to be, & now we ban horses. Really do you expect anything more. $When has the gov ever stepped in & made things better? I mean look at what they did to gas cans ?
 

wellington

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Believe it or not, we have a wildlife refuge in Colorado that has several alligators that bask on snow. Damndest thing!!
As crazy as the sounds, I guess as long as they can go in some place and warm back up they can survive.
 

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