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Re: Euthanizing invasive species debate V1.0
The problem developing in Florida with Python molurus bivittatus, Varanus niloticus and you can not forget feral cats is a serious problem that needs to be dealt with and it should be a top priority before it gets completely out of hand.
Other invasives, such as Iguana iguana are also a problem. Recently, I identified a Hemidactylus frenatus that someone in Florida found. My older references did not even show this species in the US, but in asking a herpetologist in the US about them, he told he they have been there for years now.
I was in Guam from 1989-1991, which is one of the world's worst invasive alien species stories in history, when the Boiga irregularis problem was being seriously researched. A combination of Boiga irregularis and Bufo marinus have wiped out almost everything that moves. For those that do not think that threats to the ecosystem, like Python molurus bivittatus and Varanus niloticus should not be dealt with immediately (by eliminating them), take a look into what happened to the indigenous species in Guam: Pteropus tokudae is extinct, Embollonura semicaudata extinct on Guam, Guam Rail (Gallirallus owstoni) along with 9 other species of extinct in Guam of them 5 are fully extinct (reintroduction effort being made for Gallirallus owstoni), Mariana Crow (Corvus kubaryi) on the brink of extinction in Guam, Cryptoblepharus poecilopleurus, extinct in Guam, Gehyra oceanica extinct in Guam, Lipinia noctua, I collected the last known specimen in 1990 and returned it to the wild a few days later after reporting its presence- believed to be extinct in Guam, Nactus pelagicus extinct in Guam, Perochirus ateles extinct in Guam
If someone could responsibly care for some of these invasives taken out of the wild, I would be in favour of it, but they need to be eliminated from where they do not belong. Do nothing about the problem and you are looking at some species being wiped out.
Cheers,
Michael
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