By Michael DeLea
The exotic pet trade is a
multi-billion dollar industry that is second only to drugs and weapons on the
black market, according to the Humane Society of the United States.
Unfortunately, this practice has been thriving for decades as buyers can get
their hands on anything from hedgehogs to full grown tigers. A large percentage
of the millions of animals forced into the exotic pet trade every year never actually
make it to the home of a buyer and die from the stress of being wild-caught
and/or shipped around the world.
| Aww, look how cute! |
The animals that actually survive
long enough to reach their destination present a variety of problems that are
rarely considered by their new owners. Baby animals are the most desirable by
dealers and prospective buyers alike. What many do not realize is that the
infant animals grow up into potentially dangerous adults. In addition to
increasing food and space demands, wild-caught critters are not going to be
well suited for domestic life.
This often times leads to neglect or abandonment.
The irresponsible owners that
decide to abandon their pets or turn them loose in an unfamiliar environment impose
an almost certain death on their former pet. Releasing exotic animals into
foreign habitats will usually result in the animal starving to death,
succumbing to environmental conditions or predators. But what happens if they
don’t? What happens if the environment is close enough to the animal’s native
habitat?
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| Now imagine keeping one of these somewhere in your house... |
For the answer to this question, we
need look no further than the “Sunshine State” in the southeastern United
States. Florida’s subtropical climate, major ports of entry for both legal and
illegal wildlife species, and location prone to devastating weather events that
can lead to the release of captive animals makes it one of the top two states
with the most severe invasive species problems. The exotic herptofaunal species
in particular are having devastating effects on the local ecosystems. One of
the most successful and perhaps the most infamous invader is the Burmese
python, Python molurus bivittatus.
Native to Southeast Asia, the Burmese
python has been a popular exotic pet since the 1960’s. This isn’t surprising;
who wouldn’t want a 20-inch baby python that you could take home for $20? The
issue becomes apparent when that baby has grown five or more feet in its first
year at home. When full grown, this species of snake can reach lengths of 20+
feet and weigh upwards of 200lbs! So now what do you do when you have an adult
Burmese python that requires four people just to pull it out of its enclosure?
Sadly, the answer for most owners has been to release it into the wild.
Studies suggest that this species
has been breeding in the wild in South Florida for 25 years. While the source
remains unconfirmed, the belief is that the snake’s establishment is due in
large part to illegal pet releases, with some help coming from the devastation
following Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Adult pythons are known to consume a wide
variety of prey items including raccoons, rabbits, bobcats (Dorcas et al. 2011)
and a reported 25 different species of birds (Dove et al. 2011). Of particular
concern is the predation on protected Florida species that are attempting to recover,
such as the Key Largo wood rat and the American Alligator. The invasive species
is also encroaching on the habitat of Florida’s native snake species. Due to
the Burmese python being a habitat generalist in addition to dietary generalist,
prime snake real estate such as gopher tortoise burrows are being taken over.
This displaces the smaller, naturally occurring species such as the eastern
diamondback rattlesnake and the threatened eastern indigo snake, putting them
at risk.
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| A 13-foot Burmese python couldn't hold his lunch after consuming a 6-foot alligator |
Python sightings have been
increasing exponentially in recent years, resulting in a greater perceived
threat for Florida’s native species and delicate ecosystems. You might be
thinking to yourself, “it couldn’t be that hard to find a 20 foot snake,”
right? Why not have a group of volunteers head out into Everglades National
Park and see how many snakes they could find? Well the Florida Fish and
Wildlife Commission did just that this past January, organizing the “PythonChallenge.” More than 1,500 hunters turned out for a chance to win prize money
for the most pythons killed or captured during the month-long event. Want to
take a guess of how many snakes were captured or killed? From January 12th
until February 10th, a meager 68 snakes were collected in total from
the park. The semi-aquatic python had adapted well to the wetlands of Florida’s
Everglades, making them particularly evasive.
So how are we expected to deal with
such a formidable invasive species? Researchers have been hard at work
attempting to overcome the novel difficulties presented by the invasive
reptile. Examining the life history of the snake within the context of why it
is successful and what its vulnerabilities may be has provided some insight
into possible methods of control. For example, studies using radio telemetry
have demonstrated that female snakes during breeding season can be used to
attract males and telemetered males can be used to locate females. Other
methods involve the use of traps, pheromones, and even dogs trained to locate
pythons!
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| Python Pete is a beagle who has been trained to locate pythons in the Everglades |
One
particularly interesting approach was borrowed from a pest-management strategy used
to deal with another invasive snake. The brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis) is infamous for devastating native bird
populations in Guam and it was discovered that acetaminophen (the active
ingredient in Tylenol) disrupts the oxygen-carrying ability of the snake’s
hemoglobin. To deliver the drug to the arboreal snake, mice laced with acetaminophen were airdropped with parachutes that were designed to keep the
mice suspended in the upper tree branches with the hope of limiting collateral damage to other species.
Acetaminophen is also toxic to Burmese pythons and researchers are currently
investigating a delivery system to deploy in Florida.
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| What's that in the sky? Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, its a Tylenol-injected mouse with a parachute... |
The Burmese Python invasion has
garnered significant attention from the media and public in recent years.
However, this is not the only organism having severe ecological impacts in
Florida. For example, there are currently a greater number of non-native
species of lizard breeding in the wild than native species. This problem is
largely unknown to the general public due to the fact that invasions often go
unrecognized until the problem has exceeded the point of feasible control or
eradication. Simply recognizing a potentially threatening invasive species is
not enough to bring about action. Necessary incentive and resources are
required to design and implement a practical eradication program. Therefore,
the most efficient and economical means to do away with invasive species is
prevention. Unfortunately, even if no new exotic reptiles become established in
Florida, researchers and conservationists still have their work cut out for
them.
References:
Dorcas, M.E., et al. 2011. Severe mammal declines coincide
with proliferation of invasive Burmese pythons in Everglades National Park. Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 109: 2418-2422.
Dove, C.J., R.W. Snow, M.R. Rochford, and F.J, Mazzotti.
2011. Birds consumed by the invasive Burmese python (Python molurus bivittatus) in Everglades National Park, Florida,
USA. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 123: 126 – 131.
Engeman, R., E. Jacobson, M.L. Avery, and W.E. Meshaka Jr.
2011. The aggressive invasion of exotic reptiles in Florida with a focus on
prominent species: A review. Current Zoology 57: 599-612.
Mazzotti, F.J., et al. 2010. Cold-induced mortality of
invasive Burmese pythons in south Florida. Biological Invasions 13: 143-151
Wilson, J.D., M.E. Dorcas, and R.W. Snow. 2011. Identifying
plausible scenarios for the establishment of invasive Burmese pythons (Python molurus) in Southern Florida.
Biological Invasions 13: 1493-1504.
Image References:
https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQT_PVPSUexFFggj75hkUVhY0vR32HJAYNp_SyJNAbpbu_viS76
http://gallery.usgs.gov/images/01_30_2012/a17Hx43xwr_01_30_2012/medium/Python_-_big_one_-_Mike_Rochford_jcg_edit_snake_edit.jpg
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