Burms back in the news- South Florida

[wreckwriter]

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/loc...-treasurecoast

Fisherman snags 11-foot Burmese python at favorite angling spot in Stuart

By Gabriel Margasak
The Stuart News

November 15, 2005

STUART · It was one heck of a fish story -- and the punch line was an 11-foot albino Burmese python.

The slow-slithering reptile with intricate yellow markings was the talk of the office Monday, as outdoorsman Jerry McBride showed off the surprise catch from his weekend fishing spot on the Indian River Lagoon at Walton Road.

"It's the biggest thing I caught Saturday," he said with the snake on his lap.

McBride, 51, an assistant editor at Stuart's Florida Sportsman and Shallow Water Angler magazines, said he thinks the snake's owner dumped it after it got too big. Fearless after raising pet snakes as a kid in Nebraska, he snatched the approximately 40-pound snake from its grassy hiding place on the bank and took the reptile home to the family in Jensen Beach.

"My son, who's 10, thinks it's the best thing around," McBride said.

While snakes are legal to own, wildlife officials said owners usually realize in about a year that the cute little snake in the window is a bit hard to handle when it grows to 26 feet long, eating whole chickens and rabbits. Owners can be fined hundreds of dollars if a python escapes.

Combined, those complications often lead to abandonment and a growing invasive population.

"More than 250 have been documented in the Everglades," wildlife commission spokesman Willie Puz said. "They can kill Florida native wildlife, and that's one of the things we don't want to have happen."

Pythons found in the national park are killed because of that danger, he said.

McBride had more lively plans for "Cornelius," so named by his 10-year-old son, Michael, and his friends.

He called in Bruce Dangerfield, a Vero Beach animal control officer known for using his snakes for educational talks. Dangerfield, founder of the Treasure Coast Herpetological Society, said he has friends and fellow hobbyists with large cages who have agreed to care for McBride's catch.

Copyright © 2005, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

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[Rex322]

at least its not gonna be killed

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[CreepingDeath]

thanks for posting

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[SSReptiles]

At least this one had a happy ending

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[PythonGuy24]

Great story but can't help but wonder if there was any complications with the snakes mouth.

[Dbutton]

Originally Posted by PythonGuy24

Great story but can't help but wonder if there was any complications with the snakes mouth.

I don't think that he caught it on his fishing pole. It said that he snatched it from it's hiding spot on the bank.

It is good to hear about one that didn't get killed and didn't eat anyones dog, at least that they know of, and will get to live comfortably back in captivity.
What I am wondering is how long it was out in the wild. Because the general concensus amoung most burm keepers is that albino's wouldn't do well because of the strain on their eyes in the sun and their obvious visibility which would/could inhibit their hunting skills.
The one in the picture sure didn't look any worse for wear and actually looks to be in tip top shape.
Makes you wonder doesn't it?

David

[JuliusSqueezer]

Surviving as a hatchling and surviving as a 10 footer on top of the food chain are two totally different things. An albino hatchling would be down an egrets gullet immediatly after hatching

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[Dbutton]

Originally Posted by JuliusSqueezer

Surviving as a hatchling and surviving as a 10 footer on top of the food chain are two totally different things. An albino hatchling would be down an egrets gullet immediatly after hatching

Oh I agree totally. A hatchling wouldn't last 30 minutes out there. I grew up running around the swamps of south Florida and spent much time in the glades. It is a ruthless place and the main rule there is that the gators make the rules!
But it would be interesting to know if it was there for a week, month or even a year. It did seem pretty complacent in the hands of the captor though. Who knows, it may have been laying there for days hoping that somebody would come along and take it home for a nice easy F/T meal, LOL!


David

[ChadRamsey]

great story with happy ending. There has not been my happy ending for Python caught in the wil lately. Good to see he was caught by the "right" person.

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[louise]

i had already read this and i was so happy that the urm got a happy ending for once.

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[wreckwriter]

Yea, its nice to see one turn out well for the critter

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[mpgt]

The article says any caught in the park are killed. Why is that? Aren't there enough rescues or "foster families" around? They're not that hard to keep!!!

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[Alika]

Originally Posted by mpgt

The article says any caught in the park are killed. Why is that? Aren't there enough rescues or "foster families" around? They're not that hard to keep!!!

You're kidding, right?

How many people do you know personally (online does not count) who can care for such a large snake and are willing to?

The fact is, burms are a non-native species and are considered a nuisance to the local ecology AND the local human population. Rescues have their hands full as it is with confiscated and dumped burms that came straight from 'pet' status... of course most people aren't going to be interested in collecting the wild ones and trying to make pets out of them.

The problem isn't killing the ones that are in the wild, the problem is getting people (breeders and buyers) to realize the scope of the problem and educating people so that they know that the cute little burm in the petstore is going to be HUGE and the local zoo will NOT take it when that happens. Once people start figuring this out (if they ever do), then there will be less of a demand for them and the breeders will back off a little... and, hopefully, being more educated, maybe one day people will stop dumping their unwanted pets in the wilds of Florida.

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[mpgt]

You're kidding, right?

How many people do you know personally (online does not count) who can care for such a large snake and are willing to?

I haven't surveyed all of my non-snake loving friends or neighbors. I just think it's unfortunate that they routinely kill them. You know what? Dogs and cats threaten indigenous species when they are out, off a leash (or stray). They don't kill them on the spot do they?

To answer your question though, I think almost any home owner "could" house one and meet it's needs if they were sufficiently motivated and did some research.

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[Alika]

Originally Posted by mpgt

Dogs and cats threaten indigenous species when they are out, off a leash (or stray). They don't kill them on the spot do they?

Yes they do, and no, they don't kill them.... well, they do in fact kill the ones they can't home after keeping them for a time.

It's part of the defect of the human condition... if it has fur it's cute and worth saving, but if it's large and scaley it's dangerous and a menace to society.

Most people aren't worried about the ecology, they just want the snakes gone... true enough.

But the fact of the matter about cats and dogs is that plenty more people are prepared to deal with them than with a gigantimous snake. Cats and dogs are something that society is familiar with, and, again, sympathetic to. It requires a lot less effort to turn a dog loose in a yard and buy it kibble from the pet store or even grocery store and dump that kibble into a dish than it does to provide proper housing, heating, and general management of a large constrictor, including finding food and in some cases, killing the food yourself.

Many people would just as soon kill a snake as keep one for a pet. Still others would let them live, but would rather not get anywhere near them. And many of those who are interested feel that it is beyond their own personal means and capacity to care for such a large snake. What you're left with is a precious few who would actually try to take on a burm. I'd wager that only a small percentage of those who buy one know what they're getting in to and provide the snake with a good home for it's entire life. How many die at the hands of inexperienced snake keepers, or find themselves unceremoniously dumped into the wild?

And then we've come full circle again with all these wild burms, and not enough people to care for them.

It is sad that they have to die, but there are just not enough resources available to save them all.

[mpgt]

I guess I couldn't have one anyway. Looks like NC wants to ban big snakes because they're a danger to the public. Funny, I can't recall hearing of anyone injured by one lately. Of course the law may not pass. It's dumb enough, it probably will. Realisitcally, all the rabid cats, dogs and raccoons here pose a much greater risk. Nobody cares about that though. It's not sensational for the papers.

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[Alika]

Exactly.

I can't have a burm because, realistically, I know I couldn't manage one correctly. I'm too absorbed with everything else going on in my life, the least of which is my other pets.

I do love them, though. I think they are some of the most beautiful snakes in the world... and among the most amazing.

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[robmarli]

That's too bad, it looks like a nice snake. I don't see who could be irresponsable enough to just let one go. But then again there is the thread of the lady letting the infant chew on the tail of her large constrictor. Oh yeah, some people really are that ignorant. That is too bad. I just hate to think of what happens to the snakes that are let go during summer-time in seasonal states like mine. They obviously do not make it though the winter

[Gene_01]

Great story and great ending. If anyone wants a big Burm, why don't they go down to the glades and get one? I am sure no one down there would mind.

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[mpgt]

I saw a TV show once, where they said there were lots of iguanas, monitor lizzards and exotic FW fish for the taking.

	Iguana Iguana

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