Snake Import Ban Upheld

         The article I read on the Sunshine State News website was entitled "U.S. Representative Tom Rooney's Snake Import Ban Backed By Judiciary." The bill by the Republican Congressman sought to ban the import or interstate trade of Burmese pythons and eight other species of snakes, and recently the House Judiciary Committee backed his plan. In a statement Congressman Rooney released on his reasoning for proposing the bill, he stated "“Large, invasive snakes are causing severe damage to Florida’s environment, and they represent a danger to our communities." Rooney, acting in the best interests of his Floridian constituency, is particularly upset about the effect the importation and interstate trade of these snakes has taken on the Everglades. Experts believe there to be currently between ten to one hundred thousand pythons in the Everglades, a fact that they believe is largely attributed to irresponsible pet owners who release their serpentine pets into the wild after they get too big, too hungry, or too dangerous to keep in their house. Under Congressman's legislation, named HR 511, the following snakes will be banned for importation and interstate trade: the Indian python (including the Burmese python), the reticulated python, the Northern African python, the Southern African python, the boa constrictor, the green anaconda, the yellow anaconda, the DeSchauensee’s anaconda, and the Beni anaconda. In a Tuesday statement in support of his bill, Rooney cited 15 human deaths that have occurred as a result of the importation and introduction of these large snakes into the Florida Everglades and the near extinction of several small mammals that have not evolved in the presence of python predators, as the prey had not developed in the presence of this newly introduced set of predators, so they were not evolutionarily prepared. In addition, Rooney's proposed bill was very favorably supported by the ASPCA, or The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Nancy Perry, senior vice president of ASPCA Government Relations, stated in a press release that “passing HR 511 would mark a significant achievement for the welfare of these snakes, for the protection of our native species, and for the safety of our communities."


http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/blog/us-rep-rooney%E2%80%99s-snake-import-ban-backed-judiciary