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Photo Credit: NPS
Some say it's a result of the release of household pets into the Everglades when they get to big to handle. Others believe that it has happened because pet stores were damaged in Hurricane Andrew. Whatever the cause, pythons which are not native to Florida's Everglades are a growing concern--apparently an unintended consequence of human behavior or human failure to secure the snakes in the face of a storm.
Everglades National Park is called "the only one of its kind" by the National Park Service. It's a World Heritage Site, International Biosphere Reserve, and Wetland of International Importance and yet its delicate ecosystems are at risk from this predator whose ability to reproduce is astounding.
In his address at the Dedication of Everglades National Park, December 6, 1947, President Harry S Truman said, "Not often in these demanding days are we able to lay aside the problems of the time, and turn to a project whose great value lies in the enrichment of the human spirit. Today we make the achievement of another great conservation victory. We have permanently safeguarded an irreplaceable primitive area. We have assembled to dedicate to the use of all people for all time, the Everglades National Park."
Proclaiming a "great conservation victory" and saying the park is "permanently safeguarded" has not made it so. It's takes an ongoing effort to protect and preserve the park and neighboring Big Cypress National Preserve.
Everyone seems to agree that something must be done. Last week, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will work with the State of Florida and others, renewing their commitment and expanding existing programs to eliminate Burmese pythons from the Everglades.
Florida's Governor Crist, Senator Nelson and Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are on board. The state is implementing an eradication test program. The first day of that effort was last Friday and, soon after the hunt began, the first python was spotted and captured. (See video below)
Learn about nonnative species: Florida Invaders
For more info: Everglades National Park
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