Florida considers python law

[rey]

below is news of florida's new law on reptiles. I actually spoke to a few of my friends who work for pet stores, and also work with importers. And they were telling me on how they can't sell no more monitors, and large python snakes. and it's crazy cause like this a lot of business is going to be lost to pet store owners.

It's understandable the new law, because those damn burmese pythons are everywhere in the everglades. But i think they did an overkill with the rest of the reptiles.

All we need is for ball pythons start taking over the everglades, and they'll soon have a ban on small snakes too.

Florida considers python law
The python problem is of such concern that a number of Florida state agencies and schools have gotten involved, including the South Florida Water Management District, which maintains some of the land where pythons have been found.

Florida lawmakers are considering a bill that would make it a third-degree felony to release Burmese pythons and other large reptiles or to negligently allow them to escape.

Pet owners would also have to register and photograph their large snakes and pay a $100-a-year fee to keep one.

State Rep. Ralph Poppell, who sponsored the bill, says too many casual python buyers have no idea about the serious problems they could face, and the damage they could do to the environment.

"What we're trying to do is bring some common sense and reality into something that some people look at as being harmless, until they have an encounter with it," Poppell said. "Please be careful with what you're bringing into our state."

Poppell says most in the reptile pet industry support the legislation and are concerned about the ecological impacts of non-native snakes’ being introduced into the wild.

Some pet store owners, however, worry that the annual fees will chase away many of their buyers.

"There's no way somebody's going to pay an extra $100 for a $50, $60, $70 snake," said Rian Gittman, owner of the Underground Reptiles store in Deerfield Beach.

He also argues that the proposed law, if adopted, would have the unwanted effect of making it even more difficult to control the snakes. "It will force a lot of people to just buy them out of state and go underground with it," he said.



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THE ACTUAL LAW AND RULES PASSED BY OUR LAW MAKERS. THE PRICES FOR OWNING PERMITS AND FINES ARE CRAZY.



New Year brings additional requirements for wildlife owners

January 1, 2008
Contact: Capt. Linda Harrison or Capt. John West, 850-488-6253

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has established new rules for people who possess or exhibit wildlife that recently came into effect or will become effective at the beginning of 2008.

As of Jan. 1, people licensed to possess captive wildlife, nonnative venomous reptiles or Reptiles of Concern must have a Captive Wildlife Critical Incident and Disaster Plan. This plan outlines how owners or exhibitors should secure or evacuate their animals in the event of natural disasters and critical incidents. Additionally, people licensed to possess or exhibit Class I wildlife, nonnative venomous reptiles or Reptiles of Concern must report any escape immediately to the FWC’s Division of Law Enforcement.

Class I wildlife - such as lions, bears, crocodiles, chimpanzees and rhinoceros - are defined as wildlife posing a significant danger to people.

“These new rules are for the protection and welfare of people and the wildlife,” said Capt. Linda Harrison of FWC’s Investigations Section. “We hope to prevent problems. The requirement of this plan gives permittees something to think about. If an escape or natural disaster should occur, it is better to be prepared to adequately respond to the situation.”

Exhibiting wildlife will require some establishments and private wildlife owners to pay more. In 2007, the bond for exhibiting venomous reptiles increased from $1,000 to $10,000. Effective Feb. 1, people or businesses exhibiting Class I captive wildlife will be required to provide a surety bond or a financial responsibility guarantee of $10,000 or maintain $2 million in general comprehensive liability insurance, with $2 million required per occurrence.

Anyone who possesses a Class I wildlife permit - with limited exceptions - now must have a minimum of 5 acres of property. Additionally, facilities housing Class I captive wildlife cannot be in areas zoned solely for residential use.

Class II wildlife also can pose a danger to people. They include many species of monkeys, bobcats, cougars, wolves, coyotes and caiman. Class II wildlife owners must now have a minimum of 2½ acres. The FWC will require substantial experience and specific cage and facility requirements to be met before it will issue a permit.

Nonnative venomous reptiles are all species of venomous snakes and lizards that do not occur naturally in Florida. Reptiles of Concern are the Indian or Burmese python, African rock python, amethystine python, reticulated python, green anaconda and Nile monitor lizard. People possessing any venomous reptiles or Reptiles of Concern must be permitted, paying a fee of $100 per year. They also must meet new, stricter caging and facility requirements.

“Some of these reptile species pose a threat to human life or Florida’s native species,” Harrison said. “Obviously, venomous reptiles can be hazardous to human health. Nonnative species, which have been released into the wild and thrived, may potentially wreak havoc on native species, which are falling prey to them.”

People who possess venomous reptiles are now required to mark cages and enclosures with a card stating, “Danger, Venomous Reptile.” The card must identify the reptile, and it also must accompany the reptile when it is removed from its cage. A bite or exposure protocol is required, which provides the name of an emergency contact and information on what to do should a bite occur.

People who own nonnative venomous reptiles or Reptiles of Concern for personal use must have the animals permanently identified. Nonnative venomous reptiles must be identified by photograph or by implantation of a passive integrated transponder (PIT) tag, also referred to as a microchip. Reptiles of Concern must be permanently identified by implantation of a PIT tag. The PIT tag number and specimen information must be maintained in the owner’s records.

Owners of any nonnative venomous reptiles or Reptiles of Concern acquired prior to Jan. 1, 2008, will have until July 1 to meet the PIT tagging requirement. Any specimens acquired after Jan. 1 must be permanently identified when the animal is acquired.

People possessing venomous reptiles or Reptiles of Concern are also required to keep records of changes in inventory, which are a result of births, deaths, acquisition, sales or transfers. Records must be readily available for inspection by FWC personnel. These records also must be submitted to the FWC.

People who sell venomous reptiles or Reptiles of Concern must submit these records twice a year: once upon application and again six months later. People who possess venomous reptiles or Reptiles of Concern for personal use must submit these records upon application and when there is an inventory change.

On July 1, 2007, red-eared slider turtles (Trachemys scripta elegans) became listed as a Conditional Species. People who acquired red-eared slider turtles after July 1, 2007, must have a permit. No permit will be issued for personal possession.

People who possess red-eared sliders acquired before July 1, 2007, may keep those specimens without a permit until they are legally transferred or disposed of. After July 1, 2008, however, no one may have a red-eared slider as a pet that is less than 4 inches in size. Those owning the turtles legally may not allow them to reproduce, and all eggs must be destroyed.

It is illegal to release any nonnative species into the wild in Florida. As of this year, penalties for certain captive-wildlife-law violations have increased, and in some instances, people who repeatedly violate captive wildlife laws and rules can be charged with a felony.

“In a situation where we have a repeat offender of captive wildlife rules, the perpetrator will face increased minimum fines or penalties for additional convictions. Repeat offenders may even lose their license or permit,” Harrison said. “In some instances, the perpetrator could be charged with a third-degree felony, with a fine of up to $5,000 and possible imprisonment for up to five years, although in most situations, that would not be the case.”


THIS SUCKS!!!

[Salzy]

I understand some of what they are trying to do. The added costs will make people much more responsible about owning these animals and what they do with them. I guess I'm more on "For" side of the fence though rather than being overly oposed to it all.

If you think about the registration point of it all though, it's just like registering a gun...or even your car. Think about how you have to send in the paperwork for license plate renewals and such. Or even cat and dog tags for the cities you live in. This is really just a start for the herp world, using the PIT tags and whatnot.

I ask though, what animal group is next? This could be implemented on other creatures as well, if they are talking about invasives and dangerous animals.

[rey]

i think im more upset about the venomous snake and the crocodilians. Being that i was working on getting those permits this year.

right now they are just i guess implementing it on reptiles. But who knows what can be next.

I so wanted to keep an alligator in my back yard..well legally...

[ominously]

But consider the breeders and keepers that are currently resposible - do you think they are going to pay $100 per year, per snake and photgraph out clutches - we're talking thousands for some people a year in licenses for snakes they'll never recover the money from - particularly if they can't resell them in Florida without the levy...

[rey]

yeah exactly, i know plenty of breeders who breed out red tails to sell them whole sale to pet stores. But i guess now that can't happen anymore.

[umop_apisdn]

it's a management issue that is tough to deal with, and the idea of such legislation has been floating around for a long time now. the florida everglades are an integral part of the path many migratory birds take, and have large, non-native constrictors around will most definitely have a negative influence on bird populations. florida has some of the most lenient laws regarding herp keeping, which has made it a great place to go for herp business. and as you can also see, it's beautiful climate draws myself and many other herpers there. while a 12-16 foot python stretched across the road is an awesome sight, it doesnt belong there. there is no one to blame other than the foolish animal keepers who decided to release them there in the first place. while there may not be many people releasing them there these days, it is simply a case where this generation has to pay for the last generation's mistakes and wrongdoings. fact is, people have been releasing unwanted pets into their backyards for decades. while some meet a slow, painful death in this fashion, in florida some are able to thrive.

burms, iguanas, and monitors arent the only threat to south florida now. ball pythons, red tail boas, and other snake species are being found where they dont belong. while it's obviously too late to stop the burm epidemic, something else needs to be done. i hate to say it, because on the one hand im all for herp breeding and whatnot, but for large snake breeders, they're just going to have to pay up. i see more benefits coming from this legislation than moans and groans from the herp community. sure, there will be those who "go underground," but that cant be tolerated. people need to learn the value of the natural environment over their own desires. if these people really aspire to be boa and python breeders, they'll have to move out of state, pay the fine, or stick to a smaller species. some of the large species are sold too cheaply, too readily, to owners that dont really think about taking care of such a large animal. someone has to step up.

[JBraga78]

I took this out of the above post.

Reptiles of Concern are the Indian or Burmese python, African rock python, amethystine python, reticulated python, green anaconda and Nile monitor lizard.

Red Tails are not affected, and are totally fine to have without paying any extra permit fees.

All of the above pythons have been known to exceed 15 ft long, some well over 20ft. All of the above animals have been known to thrive in some areas of Florida, and could be relativly dangerous to people, especially if they don't know it's there (ambush predators). I don't neccesarily believe that passing a law was the best thing, and wonder if it has caused even more people to quietly release their big python, but I do agree that some steps needed to be taken. Burms are slowly pushing their way up the state and out of the everglades. I recently heard of an 8 footer found north of Ft Myers. I hope it was just a recent release and not early signs of a flourishing species.

As far as I know, there is some type of large Monitor lizard loose in an upscale development outside of Orlando. It has been reported as a Nile Monitor although I'm unsure without seeing it first hand, as it was also reported to be venomous with a poisonous tail.

I am so sick of seeing cute little burms in a small cage at a pet store and someone walk by and says 'How Cute' and you proceed to hear the shop employee say that you can just keep him in a small cage and he won't grow. I don't care how much money I've spent there, or if it's the only place around, I'm piping in to correct him.

So basically, my point is that if the pet/reptile industry isn't going to regulate itself, then we should only expect to be regulated by government. If we work to make everyone responsible about their species and make breeders responsible for educating who they are selling to, instead of just trying to make the buck, then maybe we can do without further enforcement from government. We still need more education, and better judgement from breeders on the species they represent. Although some species are beautiful, they are better suited for zoos, reptile parks, etc. than for individual collections.

We need to work to make sure that these are the only species affected and that Red Tails, Carpet Pythons, etc. are not added to this list in the future. I personally think that lawmakers have done a good job to this point but am afraid that there will be a push to go overboard.

Just my opinions on a topic I love.
Justin Braga

[umop_apisdn]

in response to you, justin, i have to disagree that red tails (for one) should not be affected by the legislation. red tails have already been caught around the everglades region, though very few. given time, i am sure they will become established, if they have not already. while they may not be an immediate danger to humans, we have to consider the scope of their effects beyond just human life, but look at the environment as a whole. these animals live in florida without considerable pressure on the population from predation. im sure a few fall prey to gators, birds of prey, and mammalian predators while a "manageable size," but for those that enter adulthood, many birds and mammals are taken as prey without much discrimination. when it comes to their feeding habits, there is nothing to stop them from eating endangered species. as a matter of fact one of the first (if not THE first) record of the burmese python in the keys was noted after an endangered rat that was being tracked led researchers to the belly of a burm.

let's face it. there is one species already well established within the glades. florida is known for establishment of non-native species due to its climate. if we look the other way, then it's a matter of time before something else becomes established. and if you look at the establishment of the brown tree snake in guam, you can see how a single non-native species can decimate, even extirpate, native species.

[JBraga78]

If you read in my above post, I am by no means promoting a 'look the other way' approach to this situation. I just don't believe that tons of legislation is the answer either. I often find that education is the key to solving a situation that requires attention, and I believe it is in this case as well.

I have no problem with the state requiring breeders and or keepers to register with the state in order to more easily track animals, but there has to be a line drawn somewhere. So, if you rule out Red Tails, you might as well rule out Carpet pythons, blood pythons, GTP's, Tree Boas, large asian colubrids, and right on down the list until you can't own a non native species without paying an additional fee every year. Then they'll go one step further saying you have to have vet records for every animal in your possesion. Then you might as well have them all microchipped, so the state can really track them.

Sooner or later, legislation will ruin the hobby. It's up to us to stop that from happening by stopping the irresponsible practices that have been going on for decades. Someone always has to do things the wrong way, and ruin it for everyone else, and that is exactly what happened in this industry.

Reptiles aren't the only non-native things flourishing in Florida either. Non native plants can be seen strangling out native vegitation. Different ants, bugs, and other insects have all started taking their toll out on our ecosystem. Worse than any of these things though, is just the regular development of wildlife filled land and pollution of our land, air, and water. Together these things will kill way more species then a few snakes.

At this point in our socio-cultural evolvement, there are bigger fish to fry first. So while I do agree with you that non native species will and can destroy native wildlife, I just don't think that this is the most important thing affecting our fauna. After all, for a few thousand bucks a developer could plow over a gopher tortoise burrow (Home to protected gopher tortoise and Indigo snake) here in central Florida. If we put a price tag on these species, then what's the difference if a few more go extinct due to our disregard.....

Justin Braga
If you didn't catch it, I was going for a little sarcasm in the last sentence. I don't want anyone yelling at me.

[rey]

i so want an indigo... where in central florida? hmmm....