Florida - Burmese pythons, which have endured extermination attempts in Florida to no avail, will be banned in the United States in 60 days.
Joined by Florida Senator Ben Nelson, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar released the news to the public at a news conference just outside Miami holding a 13-foot python.
Calling the act an attempt to “strike a balance” between the state's economic and environmental concerns,Salazar said "The action we're taking today is a milestone in the protection of the Everglades.” State and federal wildlife managers, along with environmental groups, scientists, and Florida lawmakers have hailed the move as a step in the right direction.
According the local biologists most of the Burmese pythons in the Everglades were probably released there by their owners once theyrealized the snakes can grow to 12 feet long within their first two years. The snakes, native to Southeast Asia, became legendary ever since they were first sighted in the Everglades 1970s. Known to eat almost anything, one python was found with a huge bulge from a recently eaten 76-pound deer.
The most notorious of the invasive species in the United States is not alone in the ban. Yellow anacondas and two species of African rock pythons are also included. On the pending list are five other exotic snakes, including the infamous boa constrictor.
Officials have a tough road ahead for them however, as the snakes also bred in the wild, savanna, and the swamps of the Everglades.
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| One of several famous snake pictures in which a python attempts to eat an alligator |
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