Florida is wrestling with a slippery problem that begins in the neighbourhood pet shop and ends deep in the wetlands of the Everglades National Park.
The culprit is the Burmese python, a creature that can grow as long as 4m and thicker than a telegraph pole.
Officials say that too many people are buying the snakes when they are babies, believing they will make the ideal home companion. But, once fully-grown, the pythons need to eat more every day than its owner.
The solution often is to release the snakes into the wild. Indeed, the natives of Southeast Asia do well, particularly in the Everglades swamps. However, their numbers have taken off. Skip Snow, of the National Park Service, reports that 95 of the creatures were captured last year.
Members of the state legislature are expected to approve a new law that will force owners of the pythons to take courses on handling them properly. Anyone caught releasing them into the wild will face prison time.
- INDEPENDENT
Slippery problem in Florida Everglades
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