South Floridians know they have a snake problem on their hands, so much so that we've given permit holders a license to kill wild pythons at will.
But a report from the U.S. Geological Survey released yesterday said Florida may be the central breeding ground for some of the most invasive snake species in the world, and they aren't going anywhere.
The report details the high risk that non-native boa, anaconda and python species pose on the ecosystems of Florida, Texas, Hawaii and some Pacific Islands.
The biggest threat though is in South Florida, where the report noted that some of the most dangerous species of python have reproduced into the tens of thousands.
"This report clearly reveals that these giant snakes threaten to destabilize some of our most precious ecosystems and parks, primarily through predation on vulnerable native species," said Dr. Robert Reed, a coauthor of the report.
The report also noted that some species, including Burmese, reticulated and northern and southern African pythons have attacked and killed people in their native countries, though the attacks are rare. This is particularly alarming news for Miamians, as Boa constrictors and northern African pythons already live wild in the metropolitan area, according to the report.
And though the report said attacks are improbable, earlier this summer, a 2-year-old girl died after she was strangled to death by a pet python in rural Sumter County outside Orlando.
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Further heightening fears, the report noted that Florida's ecosystem now plays host to the world's longest snake, the reticulated python, and the heaviest snake, the green anaconda, though the report said it couldn't confirm breeding populations.
Making the problem even worse, the report said that the snakes reproduce like crazy, eat everything in their path, fan out across large open areas, and are difficult to find in the wild.
"Compounding their risk to native species and ecosystems is that these snakes mature early, produce large numbers of offspring, travel long distances, and have broad diets that allow them to eat most native birds and mammals," said Dr. Gordon Rodda, a USGS scientist and coauthor of the report.
The report noted that there's currently no known effective way of eradicating any of the high rish species from a large area like South Florida.
And the state's permit program is hardly making a dent in the problem.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 36 Burmese pythons have been captured and killed under its permit program.
It may be time to issue more permits.
